Chuck vs The Decision
by V3xd
Summary: When a secret is revealed, Chuck and his 2 man team are forced to not only save Sarah Walker, but take down one of the biggest crime organizations in the world. Action-y   Charah.  Terrible at summaries lol
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Ok so this is my first story so please bear with me, it's almost 4 a.m. here in Canada and I've been wanting to start this for a while. Alright so just a little background info, this is taking place during Chuck vs. The American Hero (3x12) and it revolves around the idea that "what-if" Shaw never found out that it was Sarah who killed his wife. It is currently un-beta(ed) and if anyone would be willing to beta my future uploads, that would be greatly appreciated. Anyways, enjoy and please let me know what you think in the reviews! Let me know if you even want there to be a second chapter haha. Ok enough stalling, here it is, Chapter 1._

_**_A/N 2.5 [UPDATED]: I didn't expect there to be that much buzz over this story right away. Well, I asked for criticism and I certainly got it. I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented, several people pointed out huge plot holes and unrealistic choices made in this chapter. I can also understand why certain people were angry at this story mainly due to the reason that it was completely off plot and it didn't really make sense in terms of keeping canon in accordance with the show. Secondly, I'd like to clear something up. I am NOT a Shaw/Sarah shipper. I've been 100% Charah since day 1 and I did write this story with the intention of including Charah, not Chaw(?). Finally, I made several important changes to the story so I ask everyone who already wrote it off as unlikely and terrible, to please re-read it. I have an idea of where I would like to take this story so I will continue working on chapter 2. Hopefully I'll have chapter 2 up and I'll be able to see how well it goes over with everyone. If there is still interest, I'll continue it. I don't want to keep writing things that will only produce dislike for certain characters or even things that will encourage the mess that part of season 3 was. Please continue with the feedback as it really is appreciated, even if negative, as long as it's constructive, I will take everyone's comments into consideration (that's basically what I did to create a revised version of this chapter)._**_

_Oh yeah, I don't own Chuck, but I have seen every episode twice. _

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_3:00 P.M._**

**_Outside an old factory (Undisclosed location)_**

The red and white Nerd Herder came to a screeching halt outside of what appeared to be an old rundown factory. Jeff and Lester had called Chuck not 30 minutes ago exclaiming how they had followed Sarah's 'new stallion' to this location; Chuck had truly never been happier to know that Jeff and Lester were great stalkers.

"You guys are amazing. I will tell my grand-children about you."

"Yup no problem Chuck. But these guys that Shaw went in with.. They're pretty big. Do.. You.. Uh.. Need.. backup?" That last word coming out as practically a whisper.

"No it's fine guys, you've –"

"Say no more!" And with that, Jeff and Lester hopped into Loretta and sped off.

Chuck reached behind him and pulled out his tranq gun; even though he was technically a full-fledged agent, dental plan and all, he still wasn't comfortable using real guns. He approached the building and hid beneath a window sill, he was able to hear several men talking about stolen surveillance footage and it's relation to Shaw, Chuck wondered what it could possibly be. He stood up just enough to peek inside the building, he spotted at least 15 men, all carrying AK-47s and looking extremely dangerous, and he stared back at what was now a teeny-tiny frail tranq gun. He realized that going in tranq guns blazing would probably only end up leaving Sarah with one more dead body to face. Chuck peeked back inside the building and saw one small but evil looking man setting up what looked like a bomb, except this one seemed to be connected to main power line. Suddenly a video appeared on the screen and Shaw's jaw dropped to the floor; a pretty brunette appeared on the screen, she was smiling and laughing.

"Oh I knew I shouldn't have gotten you a camera for your birthday Danny!" She flashed a white toothed smile at the camera and suddenly the camera man came into the picture, it was Shaw.

"This must have been his wife.." Chuck thought to himself.

BEEP BEEP BEEEP.

"The timer has been set Shaw. 5 minutes from now nothing is going to be left of this building, this video, or even you." The small impish man spoke with a delicate English accent and was wearing a black suit.

"The entire United States Government knows where this building and yes you're right in 5 minutes there will be nothing left of me, but at the same time there will also be nothing left of you or your team."

"Oh Shaw, I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't think I'm entirely evil, besides you're not going to die without knowing the truth about who really killed your wife. You'll be able to die in peace; don't I get some good guy points for that?" The malicious grin painted on the impish man's face was impossible to miss; he was obviously enjoying whatever he had planned.

Chuck had to act quickly, the air force would be dropping bombs on this location in less than 4 minutes and he still needed to get Shaw out of there alive and safe. Chuck had never seen Sarah so worried than when Shaw announced he was going to sacrifice himself to take down a part of the ring and its operations. He had to save Shaw, for Sarah. A small humming noise seemed to grow increasingly louder as Chuck made his way around the building, bingo! He found the generator for the building, if he would turn off the electricity then he could at least get inside the building and sneak Shaw out of there before the lights came back on.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard." Chuck thought to himself, flipping a switch to turn off the electricity was a walk in the park for an intersect wielding Buy More nerd. The handle of the gun slammed against the lock of the doors to the generator and Chuck pulled opened the doors, he had to act fast, he was running out of time and what he found inside the generator box was not just a simple switch. There were wires running all over the inside and it seemed as if each one was hooked up to a switch that was also attached to yet another wire; it was as if each button/wire combination was hooked up to a different part of the electricity in the building, so Chuck had to be careful. If he accidentally turned off the wrong thing, he would alert everyone inside to his presence.

This was usually the part where the Buy More nerd allowed the intersect to take over and with one quick flash, Chuck was able to know exactly which switch was connected to the lights and bomb. He flipped a few switches, cut some wires, and closed the door of the generator. Chuck checked his watch and saw that he had a little over a minute left before the bombs would be landing.

WHAM!

The back doors flew open and it was pitch dark inside the building, perfect. Now all Chuck needed to do was locate Shaw and they could get out of there.

"Shaw!"

"Over here Chuck!"

Chuck followed the voice and started to loosen up the ties around Shaw's wrists.

"We've got to get of here Chuck."

"You don't have to tell me twice, let's go!"

The two men ran towards the backdoors but instead they were both met with a punch to the face.

"Ah ah ah.. You didn't even introduce your guest Shaw, now isn't a time to start losing manners. Tie them both up and let's get out of here!" The impish man barked orders at his henchmen and they started moving quickly.

20 seconds until the Air Force would be here. Chuck needed to think of a plan to get them out of there and fast!

"Wait for my signal then run Chuck. I'm going to create a distraction and then you'll be able to get out of here." Shaw whispered to Chuck.

"Ok – WAIT. No. What are you going to do Shaw? I told Sarah I would bring you back alive and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Don't do this." The seconds were ticking away and they were moments from being blown to bits.

"Just trust me Chuck."

As one of the men approached Shaw to tie him up, Shaw grabbed his arm, twisted it, and grabbed the gun.

"Run! NOW CHUCK."

"Don't do this Shaw!"

Chuck couldn't do this. He made a promise to Sarah and he didn't want to be another person in her life who left her disappointed, even if this promise seemed impossible to fulfill.

"GO CHUCK!"

Less than 10 seconds until it was all over.

It was now or never and he could still save them both. Chuck's fist collided with Shaw's face and before he could even fall to the ground, Chuck hoisted him over his shoulder and made a run for it. It was more of a fast crawl though, Shaw weighed a lot more than he looked.

WHOOSH.

Chuck could hear the planes approaching from above and with that the first bomb had made contact, creating an explosion. In a rare heroic moment, Chuck found super strength and was able to make it outside and far away enough from the building. He had done it. He had saved them both. Chuck placed Shaw on the ground and then he followed suit, collapsing on the gravel. Chuck was still catching his breath when he heard the familiar purr of Sarah's Porsche approaching.

"Shaw! Chuck! Oh my god."

She approached both men and saw that Shaw was still on the ground, unconscious.

"Is he OK? What happened? He's bleeding!"

Shaw seemed to regain consciousness at the moment and spoke softly.

"I'm bleeding because Chuck punched me."

"WHAT?"

"Sarah I did it because-"

"Because he was saving both our lives."

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Castle (Burbank, CA)_**

**_4:55_**

"Congratulations Agent Walker, we destroyed a ring compound, hopefully eliminating some of their higher ups, and you managed to rescue Agent Shaw. Once again, you and your team prevailed."

"Thank General, but I can't take any of the credit this time. It was all Chuck."

"Noted. Well it's been an interesting turn of events but all of this has only confirmed that you and Shaw are going to make a wonderful addition to our team in D.C. I look forward to working with you both face to face."

General Beckman left Sarah with those words and hung up.

"How's Shaw?" Chuck asked.

"He's still being looked at but aside from a bruised lip, he looks like he's going to be ok. Thank you Chuck, he's safe because of you." Sarah gave Chuck a smile that made his stomach do circles. It was the smile she always had on whenever she was relieved. But not just any relief. It was the smile she had on whenever she had saved Chuck from one of the many bad guys they had encountered together in the past 4 years. It was the smile that always reassured Chuck that they would make it out of any situation safely. It was the smile that he had grown so accustomed to over the past 4 years. The smile that he would soon be without.

"It's no big deal, I'm just glad these iron fists didn't hurt him too much." He held up his hands and laughed. He was a small guy compared to Shaw. "So I guess this is it huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well Shaw isn't going to spend more than a day in the hospital and then you'll both be off to Washington. Saving the world from evil baddies and fulcrum agents, one mission at a time."

"Chuck listen…"

"No it's ok Sarah, I get it. He's handsome, intelligent, and one of the CIA's best. Who wouldn't want to be with him.." Chuck trailed off. Even though he was responsible for saving Sarah's new beau, he couldn't get over the fact that she was leaving. It felt as if so much was being left unsaid.

"You're an agent now Chuck. You're not the person I fell for 4 years ago when I walked into the BuyMore for the first time. When you pull that trigger and kill someone, it changes you. Whether you want it to or not. Maybe if things were different we'd have a chance but it's always been complicated with us and I can't keep you waiting around for me." Chuck had heard enough. Sarah was leaving and she was leaving with the other guy. Story of his life, always being left for the other guy.

"Sarah please don't go. Don't go to Washington with Shaw. Don't leave. Run away with me. Let's do what I couldn't do a year ago. I love you. I love you Sarah Walker. I'm still the same guy that you fell for. I'm still Chuck. Please.. Don't go. I have been holding all of this in for a long time and it feels so good to finally tell you. I. Love. You." Chuck placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her close, allowing their faces to hover less than an inch away from each other. "I should have left with you a year ago. I was stupid. I thought that I could somehow have everything. I thought that I could still be a spy and keep the girl, I thought that if I didn't have the spylife, I would be a loser. But you showed me that I don't need a badge or tranq gun or even the BuyMore. I just need you." Chuck leaned in forward to kiss her and she didn't try and push him away. Their lips locked and he could feel her hands tightening around his cheeks. Everything that couldn't be said didn't need to be. The kiss said it all.

"I'm going to be at the airport tonight at 8. Don't go to D.C. Find me in Terminal 2. And from there we can go anywhere you want. Paris, Africa, Canada, anywhere. I don't care where we go as long as I'm with you."

"Chuck.. it's not that simple. I can't just up and leave. I've made a commitment to Shaw and the team and the United States government. I'm going to be head of the operations in D.C., they're expecting me, I can't drop all my responsibilities and duties. I just.. I can't.."

"Stop. Don't say anything more. I don't want to have to beg or convince you. I just want to know that for once, I was enough." Chuck sounded defeated as he spoke those last few words. "You know where I'll be tonight, and I really hope that you'll be there too.." He cut himself off as he reproached Sarah and pulled her into a passionate kiss once more.

She grabbed his brown curls and didn't want to let go. She wasn't sure anymore. Of anything. Whether the spy life was something she still wanted. Or if she wanted to see where this thing with Shaw was going. Or even if running away with Chuck was the right thing to do.

He pulled away and walked out of Castle, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Viceroy Hotel (Santa Monica, CA)_**

**_5:45 P.M._**

Clothes started flying out of Sarah's wardrobe and into her suitcase as soon as she reached her hotel room. She didn't want to think, she didn't want to have to make a choice. A year ago, running away with Chuck was exactly what she wanted. A life with Chuck was the _only_ thing she wanted. But he wasn't ready to throw away his potential career away for them, so why should she now? Who was she kidding, she saw the video Carina left her. She knew that Chuck only had the best of intentions and she was only trying to justify not showing up at the airport to herself. _It's different now. Now it's my career on the line and Shaw and Beckman, they're all depending on me now. Chuck isn't the only one who needs me now…_

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and she went to go see who it was. _Casey?_ She had known Casey for more than 3 years and he was not one for good-byes, she wondered what he wanted.

"You got a sec?"

"Sure Casey, what's up? You know if you came on Chuck's behalf, it's really not necessary, I-"

"He doesn't know I'm here." Casey's voice was softer than usual, he scanned the room and saw that Sarah almost finished packing. "You going to the airport?"

"Yeah."

"I'll give you a ride, we need to talk." Casey grabbed Sarah's luggage and they both headed downstairs towards the lobby.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_7:55 P.M._**

The taxi pulled up to the airport and Chuck got out. He paid the man his fare and made his way towards the inside of terminal 2. He looked around but didn't see Sarah. As he made his way towards a bench he glanced at his watch, _7:55. _He wondered about whether or not she would show up.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Enroute to Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_7:45 P.M._**

"Bartowski didn't kill the mole y'know."

"What? What do you mean he didn't kill the mole?"

"Kid didn't have the stones. He's not built like you and me. I pulled the trigger, not Chuck. The kid still uses tranq guns for gods sake."

This was one of those rare moments where Casey referred to Chuck by his full name and not 'moron' or 'Bartowski'. Casey explained the events of that night and Sarah's eyes filled with tears. This was the best news she'd ever heard. It meant that he wasn't a killer. Chuck still represented everything she wanted in a partner. Ever since Sarah had met Chuck, she felt herself changing. Over the past 3 years she found herself becoming less of a spy and more of a person, and it was all because of Chuck.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:00 P.M._**

"Casey.. Thank you. Thank for telling me the truth." Sarah got out of the Vic and started grabbing her luggage from the trunk.

"Eh, don't mention it Walker." He grunted and closed the trunk.

"You know, 3 years ago if someone told me that you and I would be saying goodbye like this, I wouldn't have believed them..."

"Come on Walker, don't start getting soft on me now. Dealing with Bartowski's lady feelings is one set too many." He put out his hand to intiate a handshake and Sarah stuck out hers.

Sarah watched as the Crown Vic pulled away and she was left standing alone with her luggage.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:05 P.M._**

Chuck had done nothing but stared at his watch for the past 10 minutes, with occasional glances upward, hoping to see the beautiful blonde whom he was so deeply in love with.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:06 P.M._**

Sarah headed inside the terminal but it seemed to be filling up quickly, she looked around but there was no sign of him. _Where could he be?_ She thought to herself. It wasn't like him to be late, especially when this was all his idea anyways. She checked her phone, maybe he was running late. _No messages. No missed calls._

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:07 P.M._**

It was starting to fill up inside and a flood of people surrounded him.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:08 P.M._**

She looked around the airport, hoping to see her tall, dark haired man walking around somewhere, looking for her too. She pulled out her phone and was about to dial his number, when she saw her partner walk through the airport doors.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:08 P.M._**

Chuck felt his legs turn to jello. He had never been more nervous in his entire life, but this was it. This was going to be the first day of _their_ new life together. Chuck felt a huge grin spread across his face, but it didn't last long, and it was quickly replaced by a look of confusion, then sorrow.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:09 P.M._**

"What are you doing here Shaw?" She had a look of confusion on her face, she thought that Shaw was going to be staying in the hospital overnight.

He approached Sarah and took her wrist in his hand. He leaned forward to whisper something in her ear as a blank look took its place on her face.

-X-

**_March 28th, 2010_**

**_Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)_**

**_8:10 P.M._**

Chuck couldn't move. He couldn't utter a single word, even though several colorful ones crossed his mind. He was in a state of shock and couldn't believe what he had just seen. There she was, at the airport. At terminal 2, getting ready to pass security. But not with Chuck. With Shaw. He felt the color leave his face and just stood there. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as he watched the two of them walk towards the security checkpoint hand in hand.

The room started to spin and things were getting darker, he felt his knees go weak and standing up was becoming more and more of an effort. His entire body seemed to be shutting down but regardless, he was unable to take his eyes off of the distancing couple. Suddenly it felt as if there was an elephant on his shoulder and Chuck couldn't hold himself up any longer. His knees hit the tile floor and he fell over to the side. Everything was going black but the last thing he saw before his eyes closed completely was Sarah. Flashing a smile in response to something Shaw had said. It was a smile he recognized. It was the smile that said so much. It was the smile she put on whenever she felt in danger during a mission. The smile she would give Chuck to make sure he remained calmed while she figured out a plan to get them out of whatever predicament they were in. Something was wrong.

_A/N 2: Whoa, didn't think writing my first FF would be this fun. I actually really enjoyed writing this, even though I'm not sure if it's any good. I guess that's where you, the readers, come in. Please please please (!) let me know what you thought of it. Criticism or compliments are both welcome, I'm always looking for ways to improve my work. Also, I originally planned to make this a chapter series, but I could definitely see this being just a one shot (although there would be several unanswered questions if that were the case...). Anyways, I'm going to continue with working on chapter 2 and see where it brings me. Let me know if you guys would even be interested in reading a second chapter, that would probably give me more motivation to write haha. Hopefully chapter 2 will be up soon! (Assuming this one didn't totally suck lol.)_

**_A/N 2.5 [UPDATED]: I didn't expect there to be that much buzz over this story right away. Well, I asked for criticism and I certainly got it. I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented, several people pointed out huge plot holes and unrealistic choices made in this chapter. I can also understand why certain people were angry at this story mainly due to the reason that it was completely off plot and it didn't really make sense in terms of keeping canon in accordance with the show. Secondly, I'd like to clear something up. I am NOT a Shaw/Sarah shipper. I've been 100% Charah since day 1 and I did write this story with the intention of including Charah, not Chaw(?). Finally, I made several important changes to the story so I ask everyone who already wrote it off as unlikely and terrible, to please re-read it. I have an idea of where I would like to take this story so I will continue working on chapter 2. Hopefully I'll have chapter 2 up and I'll be able to see how well it goes over with everyone. If there is still interest, I'll continue it. I don't want to keep writing things that will only produce dislike for certain characters or even things that will encourage the mess that part of season 3 was. Please continue with the feedback as it really is appreciated, even if negative, as long as it's constructive, I will take everyone's comments into consideration (that's basically what I did to create a revised version of this chapter)._**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: If you haven't read the revised version, I suggest you go do that now, as I made several changes that do affect the overall story. Ok well it had only been a day since I posted the first chapter of this series and it was almost immediately met with both positive and negative criticism. I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who posted regarding several huge pot holes in the original version of this story and because of them I was able to revise and create a much more believable and realistic story that I feel will be much stronger and will have a lot more development. Thanks again and please, don't hold back in your feedback and review of this chapter, I truly appreciate every review and comment. I know that a lot of people have been commenting saying that they liked the original version more but I didn't revise just to please some readers. I revised it because I felt that the revised version would create a much better direction for this story. I hope you guys enjoy chapter 2, and without further ado, here it is._

_A **HUGE** thanks to uplink2 for being my beta for this chapter. He provided me with an amazing analysis and some great feedback for chap 2, helping to really shape the overall direction of this story as whole. Go check out his stories, they're really good, I've just started reading them and I'm already hooked. _

_Oh yeah, I don't own Chuck, and that's probably for the best lol._

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)**_

_**8:09 P.M.**_

Shaw entered the Bob Hope airport and immediately spotted Sarah. She had a look of confusion on her face; he knew that she was expecting another tall, curly brown haired man.

"I know Chuck is here. And if you want to protect him and his secret, take my hand and follow me." He leaned in close and whispered these words to Sarah. He knew that she would do absolutely anything to protect Chuck, so she took his hand in hers and he led them off towards security. "Alert anyone or try anything, and you both die."

Once they had made it past security and were waiting to board a flight Sarah suddenly found her voice.

"What the hell is going on Shaw?"

"That's getting a bit loud for my taste. I just need to make one phone call and Chuck doesn't make it back home. I know you may be a bit confused Sarah, but so was I at first. The director made sure to clear everything right up though." He leaned in for a kiss and she slapped him hard across the face. "Oooh, feisty, I like it. But let's save something for the honeymoon huh?"

"I don't know what you're planning here but-"

"Shut up Sarah. You've talked enough, now it's your turn to listen. And believe me; you're going to like what I have to say."

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, CA)**_

_**6:07 P.M.**_

Shaw massaged his left cheek; Chuck had one hell of a punch. He was getting ready to call a taxi when a black Lincoln Town Car pulled up to him. The window rolled down and the small impish man, now known to him as the Ring Director, motioned for Shaw to enter the vehicle.

"What? How are you still alive…"

"Get in."

"You'd have to shoot me first."

"You're not of much interest to me dead, how do feel about the blonde though? I can have my entire organization after her with the press of one button. I just want to talk Shaw; we never got to finish our conversation."

Without hesitation Shaw grabbed the door handle and stepped inside the car, slamming the car door behind him.

"The entire US government is going to hunt your puny ass down once they find out you're still alive."

The director placed his hand up, motioning for Shaw to stop talking. "Just watch this Daniel, and then if you still feel that way, you can call your precious government. In fact, you can even be the one the put the bullet in my head."

Shaw was already thinking of more creative ways to end the director's life.

The director pulled out a small laptop and opened it up. The video of Shaw's wife began to play, exactly where it had left off in the old factory. He once again became a lifeless figure as he watched his wife laugh at the camera.

The scene changed quickly to Evelyn Shaw walking alone at night along a street in Paris. A younger Sarah also came into view as she walked past Shaw's wife. There seemed to be hesitancy from Sarah as she walked past Evelyn, and Shaw quickly realized what this was; Sarah's red test. Shaw was in shock and couldn't find the words to try and tell the director to shut off the video, he just kept watching in horror. BAM. The sound of a gunshot emerged from the laptop and there both women were. Sarah, alive and standing, with a gun in her hand, smoke still fuming from the gun, and his wife. Except Evelyn wasn't standing anymore. She lay lifeless on the sidewalk, a pool of blood slowly surrounding her motionless body. Sarah ran off camera and the video ended.

"You see what your precious government has done to protect you? You see how they treat their 'best and brightest'? By pairing you up with the woman who killed your wife!"

Shaw could feel the anger boiling within him. Everything had been a lie. He grabbed the laptop and threw it on the floor of the car.

"I understand that you're angry Shaw, but now I have to ask, do you still think I'm the right person who deserves a bullet between the eyes?"

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, CA)**_

_**8:48 P.M.**_

"Chuck! Chuck! Oh my god, Casey, what happened to him?"

"I was at the airport and Walke- Sarah left something in my car, I went back to give it to her and I found him like this." Casey almost forgot that he was talking to a civilian and still needed to maintain the cover.

Chuck could barely open his eyes but he was able to see that he was at the hospital. Nurses and doctors went whizzing by as the gurney practically flew across the hospital hall. Ellie's voice was getting harder to hear as he started to drift back into unconsciousness.

"Where's Sarah?" That was the last thing Chuck was able to hear Ellie say before everything went black again.

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)**_

_**8:48 P.M**_

"In a way, I don't blame you. My wife was made out to be a traitor, making it easy for Graham to manipulate you into ending her life. But unfortunately for you, Graham is already gone, and someone still needs to pay." Shaw had just finished explaining the past few hours to Sarah and even though she was putting on a brave face, she was scared. She was without her team and had no clue where Shaw was planning to take her.

"Killing me won't do anything to fill that bottomless pit you call heart." Sarah practically spat those last few words at Shaw.

"I know, don't worry, I don't plan to kill you right away. Until I get what I want from the CIA, you're still of use to me." There was bitterness in every word that escaped Shaw's mouth.

"We will soon be boarding flight 145 to Mexico City." The loudspeaker caused Shaw to stop speaking.

"Well, that's the flight we're supposed to be on. Let's take a little walk. Remember, try anything at all, and Chuck gets a little visit from my Ring friends."

Shaw grabbed her arm but she yanked it away, grabbing her own luggage instead.

"Have it your way." Shaw proceeded to walk slightly behind Sarah as a spiteful smile spread across his face.

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Hospital Room 52, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, CA)**_

_**9:06 P.M.**_

Chuck awoke in a panic; he had been having a terrible dream. Sarah had shown up at the airport but she was leaving with Shaw. And then everything went blank.

He looked around and noticed an I.V. tube sticking out of his left arm, and then it came back to him. It hadn't been a dream, not even close.

"Glad to see you're finally awake." Casey mumbled as he stepped inside Chuck's room.

"Casey! What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Vaguely… I remember waiting for Sarah. And I remember seeing her there, at the airport. But then Shaw came… And she left with him. That's when my knees gave out. BUT HER SMILE. THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER SMILE."

"Looks like someone is enjoying their meds…" Casey laughed at his own joke but resumed a straight face when he realized that Chuck was still serious.

"Casey, something is wrong with Sarah. Something's not right, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, I know. Drive her all the way to the airport, incriminate myself by telling her the truth about your red test, and she runs off with Shaw. Even I didn't think she was that cold."

"That's not what I'm talking about Casey! Sarah was surprised to see Shaw, she wasn't expecting him, I know it."

"Listen Bartowski, I know it's hard to accept the fact that she left with Shaw, but maybe you better get some rest…" Casey patted Chuck on his arm but this only annoyed him more.

"Casey! I'm being serious, something isn't right-" Chuck couldn't finish his sentence because the phone on the table close to him started vibrating, it was Beckman.

VRRRRR. VRRRRR.

"Answer it Bartowski."

Chuck snapped out of his daze and picked up the phone.

"Hi General, listen something is wrong- What? Yes. No, I can't. Rome is going to have to wait General, something is more important right now. Well that's what I was getting to. Something is wrong. No! It's Shaw. And Sarah. Yes General, I realize that the nation's safety is more important than my personal feelings but this isn't about that! I think Shaw's gone rogue." Chuck actually didn't have any evidence towards this fact yet but he figured it was the only way he would get the General's attention. "Yes I understand the severity of that accusation- no I don't have any evidence but-" Chuck face went white as Casey could hear Beckman shouting through the phone.

"…AND IF YOU EVER ACCUSE ONE OF MY AGENTS OF GOING ROGUE AGAIN, YOU BETTER HAVE SOME DAMN EVIDENCE."

The color in Chuck's face still hadn't returned as he put down the phone.

"Shaw and Sarah just checked in with Beckman… Turns out they've already been assigned to a new mission. They're heading to Mexico tonight to investigate another possible Ring affiliation… Everything is.. fine…" It seemed as if even Chuck didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. "I don't get it… Her smile. I know her smile. I know her. She wasn't there to meet Shaw. It doesn't make sense Casey…" His voice got soft and Chuck lowered his head dejectedly.

"Sorry Bartowski."

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA)**_

_**9:08 P.M.**_

Shaw hung up the phone and turned to Sarah.

"You know, if I wasn't standing here bargaining with the life of your boyfriend, I would have almost believed that crap you just told Beckman."

"The CIA, NSA, and Team Bartowski aren't going to let you get away with this Shaw."

"Team Bartowski? That's cute. By the time the incompetent higher ups realize that I've gone rogue and taken you with me, I'll be far far away, safe under protection from the Ring."

By now they were walking towards a secluded boarding area and Shaw had an iron grip on Sarah's wrist. Sarah waited for a moment when Shaw seemed most distracted and ripped her arm from his grip. She punched him in the face and started to make a run towards the nearest exit but didn't get far before she heard Shaw yell after her.

"You know, the intersect might just be the most dangerous weapon in the world, and I can think of several organizations who would just LOVE to know it was being held by a Burbank Buy More _Nerd_. Can you imagine the type of experiments they would put him through? Just to access that one piece of very important US technology in his head."

Shaw smiled as he saw Sarah stop dead in her tracks.

"He'd be up in the air on his way to some undisclosed, untraceable location before you could even get a cab. Far out of the CIA's reach."

Shaw reproached Sarah and pulled both of her hands and placed them behind her back. He grabbed a pair of FlexiCuffs from his coat pocket and tightened them around her wrists.

"You see that's what makes a Buy More nerd like Chuck so valuable to me; aside from all those US secrets in his head of course. I know you'd do anything to keep him and that secret safe."

Sarah turned to face Shaw, she wanted nothing more than to kick him hard in the gut, but this was Chuck they were talking about. The guy who still used tranq guns. The guy that would do anything for his family. The guy who had shown up at her hotel room with a red rose, only to encounter Bryce once more. The guy who had saved Shaw from the warehouse just because he knew Sarah cared for him. The guy who still had a Tron poster hanging in his bedroom.

"This is exactly why you don't let yourself become compromised Agent Walker. Boyfriends make for wonderful bargaining chips."

"That night in Paris, I don't regret pulling that trigger one _bit_." Sarah didn't really mean that but she wanted to get back at Shaw, for everything that he was doing, including endangering Chuck's life. That night was the worst night of her life and to this day she had no idea if Evelyn had been reaching for a weapon. But Sarah had never felt like this before. She was helpless, Chuck's life was being put into danger and after everything that Chuck had done for her, and she was going to protect him, no matter what. Her comment seemed to get a rise out of Shaw though. She was met with a strong hit to the gut and she fell to her knees.

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Hospital Room 52, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, CA)**_

_**9:34 P.M.**_

Chuck pulled the I.V. out of his arm, almost passing out from seeing the needle emerge from his skin; he really hated needles. _Where were his clothes? _He needed to get out of there and save Sarah. He could feel it in his gut, something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of him, with or without Beckman's help.

"What do you think you're doing Chuck?" A worried Ellie entered Chuck's room and sat him back down on the bed. "You're in no condition to go anywhere Chuck. We're still unsure of why you collapsed in the airport."

Chuck hadn't even thought about that, but right now, saving Sarah was more important.

"I have to go. I'm sorry Ellie, I'll explain later."

"CHARLES IRVING BARTOWSKI. Sit down right now. If you're just going to just up and leave after collapsing unexplainably and not give me any explanation, then you obviously don't know how far my powers reach in this hospital." Ellie wasn't angry though, it was more like she was worried, and Chuck didn't want to worry her.

"Listen El, I know that I might be acting strangely, but there's a lot going on, and I can't explain it right now. But I promise, as soon as I fix this, I'll tell you everything. But please, you have to let me leave, it's important."

Ellie sighed. "Chuck, I just… I don't understand what's going on. Last I saw you, you were getting ready to meet Sarah at the airport and next thing I know you're showing up in my ER. What happened?"

"El… I understand that you have a lot of questions, but right now I need to get to Sarah. We got into a fight and I said some stupid things, she left the airport and I was about to call Casey for a lift when I collapsed. I know that you want to what's wrong with me, but right now, I need to find her and apologize." Chuck hoped that this excuse would be enough to hold off Ellie, for a little while at least.

"Fine. Go. But I want you to promise me that you'll come back in and get checked out as soon as you're back. And have Sarah with you. She loves you Chuck, I can tell. So just apologize to her and make sure that she knows you love her too."

"Thank you thank you El, I promise!" He gave her a tight hug and grabbed all of his clothes as she left the room shaking her head disapprovingly.

Chuck was just about to leave when Casey barged in.

"Heard you're leaving."

"Yeah, something is up, I'm sure of that Casey. Sarah had this look on her face; it was almost as if she felt in danger. I need to find her."

"Don't go and do something stupid Bartowski. You heard the General, things are fine, don't start creating more trouble for yourself."

"Casey, this is Sarah! Do you really think she would just up and leave like that? Without telling me first? Besides, I saw something in the warehouse. The Ring Director was showing Shaw a video, his wife was on it. I didn't get a chance to see it all but I think it has something to do with Sarah."

"Listen Chuck, I'm not saying I don't believe you. I'm just saying that if you wanna do this properly, you're gonna need a plan."

Chuck just stared at Casey when suddenly a grin appeared on his face. "I've got it! Go warm up the Vic, you're about to become Team Bartowski's newest member."

_**March 28**__**th**__**, 2010**_

_**Castle (Burbank, CA)**_

_**9:57 P.M.**_

"General!"

"Chuck, I hope you're calling to say that you're ready to leave for Rome- What is a civilian doing in Castle?"

"Right, about that General, you said I could pick my own team. John Casey is one of the best and the only way I'm going to Rome is if he's back on the team."

"Let me get this straight, first you accuse Shaw of treason, without any evidence, then insist something is wrong between Agent Walker and Agent Shaw, again, without evidence, and now you're giving me an ultimatum?"

"Yes. And right now, I'm the only intersect out there, so if you want to continue having the intersect as a member of the CIA, you'll reinstate Casey." Chuck had no clue where all this confidence was coming from but it seemed to be working.

General Beckman stared long and hard at Chuck through the computer monitor before breaking the silence.

"Fine. But one screw up from either of you, and it's over. For good."

The screen went dark and Chuck turned to face Casey.

"You're welcome." He said proudly.

"Save it moron, we've got work to do."

"Ah, there's the Casey we all know and love."

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**In the air, on route to somewhere in Europe (Exact location undetermined)**_

_**10:03 P.M.**_

"Lucky for us, we're flying private. Commercial airlines are just so overrated nowadays don't you think?"

Sarah didn't say anything, she was just thinking about Chuck. Thinking about how he must be feeling right now. There was so much that she wished she would have told him, but most importantly, she wished that she was with him right now, heading off to wherever he had planned to take them. She had been so prepared to start a life with Chuck, ready to leave this entire spy life behind even.

"Listen, I know you're probably thinking about poor Bartowski right now, but he'll get over it. I'm sure he could just give Hannah a call when realizes that you'll never be coming back, because once you get the Intel from the CIA and give it to me, you'll be of no more use to me. And then it'll be bye-bye Walker and Shaw will come in once again to save the day. _Who would have guessed, Sarah Walker, committing treason. A traitor. But thankfully I was here, to save the day, and stop the Intel from being handed over to the Ring."_

"That's your big plan? Framing me for treason?" Sarah let out a mocking laugh.

"Please Agent Walker, I figured you for someone a bit smarter than that. You see, that's only the beginning. Once the CIA believes that everything is fine again and their guard is down, that's when the Ring is going to make their move. I'll still have access to all the databases and that's when we'll wipe the CIA _clean._ But it only starts with the CIA; we'll eventually get the NSA and FBI too. I plan to make them pay for what they did to me. Oops, did I reveal too much? Eh, it's only a matter of time before you're 6 feet under anyways."

Sarah just stared out the window. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and one escaped her as it rolled down her cheek. She wanted to be with Chuck so badly right now. She just wanted him to be there to tell her that they would make it out of this alive, like always, because she was a "bad-ass blonde" as he referred to it.

She wiped the tear from her eye and took a deep breath. She was Sarah Walker. She needed to come up with a plan. She was going to make it out of this alive, and she was going to spend the rest of her life with Chuck. Even if that was the only thing she was sure of at the moment.

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Castle (Burbank, CA)**_

_**10:00 P.M.**_

BEEP BEEP.

The main monitor turned on and a slightly worried General Beckman appeared on screen.

"Colonel! Is Mr. Bartowski there with you?"

"Uh no General, he left to grab some things from his apartment. What's going on?"

"Some of my men were inspecting what was left of the warehouse and found some hidden surveillance footage from inside the building. The Ring Director has Sarah's red test."

"I don't follow."

"Sarah was ordered to murder Evelyn Shaw as part of her final examination. We know have reason to believe that Chuck may have been right and Shaw may have gone rogue. They didn't board their flight to Mexico and Agent Walker isn't picking up on the encrypted line."

"I see. So how do we proceed from here General?"

"Tell Mr. Bartowski nothing. There is going to be a change of plans. We're sending our top men to investigate this and you and Chuck will proceed to Rome as originally planned. Some new Intel regarding the seven elders has appeared on our radar and the trail last left off in Rome. The seven elders are more important than retrieving Agent Walker at the moment and that's why we need Chuck there."

"But General-"

"Casey, this is an order that comes from the top. There is nothing I can do at the moment. Just follow the original plan and accompany Mr. Bartowski to Rome, ensuring he has no idea what's really going on. We need the intersect if we're going to follow this trail regarding the seven elders and I am sure that Mr. Bartowski will not cooperate if he knows that Sarah is in danger. I can't risk him going rogue to save her, not now, this is too important. But Casey, I want to ensure you myself, we _will_ find Agent Walker and bring her back safely. But in order for us to do that successfully, we need Chuck to stay in the dark. For now at least."

"Noted General. Will do. What should I tell Chuck then? He's going to want to know why there is a change of plans."

"Tell him that Agent Walker left with Shaw. She's deep undercover and that is why they will not be able to have any communication."

Casey's loyalty would always lie with his country, but he couldn't help feeling for the poor kid. He had been through so much, and all of the lies and deceit didn't seem like they were going to end anytime soon.

The elevator door opened and Chuck stepped out.

'You ready Case? I'm all packed."

"Change of plans Bartowski."

"What do you mean? You said you'd help me! I don't understand."

"I just got off the line with Beckman. Sarah's gone deep undercover. With Shaw. No calls in, no letters out."

Casey didn't even believe himself as he told this to Chuck, but after seeing the defeated look on Chuck's face, he knew that Chuck was convinced. Casey really hoped that the CIA would find Sarah soon; he couldn't bear to watch the kid go through any more than he already had.

"I'm sorry Chuck." Casey placed his hand on Chuck's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. "We have our new mission though, we're going to Rome."

_A/N 2: I hope that this answers some of your questions from the previous chapter. I know that I left some things open but don't worry, I plan to answer everything in due time. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll try and have the next one up ASAP. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think in the reviews, I really want to know what you all thought! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry guys, I wanted to update quickly but it's been a busy week and I didn't want to post the chapter until I was happy with it. I made this one a bit longer just to make up for the wait. Once again, a **huge **thanks to Uplink2 for his feedback on this chapter. He was invaluable and his honest feedback really helped me shape this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it! R&R and let me know what you think. Chapter 4 should hopefully be up a week from now, if not sooner._

_A/N 2: Wow. That's all I have to say. I just watched the finale and ... wow. After reading several updates from a few of my favourite writers on here, I'm glad to know that I wasn't the only one who was angry about the ending. I found myself tearing up at certain parts in both episodes but I was disappointed with the ending. I felt as if it was kind of an insult towards the viewers, I mean, all the Charah/Bartowski family memories over the span of 5 seasons were all for nothing. I felt as if the family picture from the Bullet Train was simply a red herring and misleading. I didn't like the fact that she never really got her memories back, and I know that they are going to have a happy ending, I just don't think this ending was satisfying. I feel cheated out of 5 seasons and the ending left me feeling angry. On a more positive note, I loved both episodes and have to say that my two favorite scenes were Jeffster, and when Sarah and Chuck are in 'their' house and he's talking about their first kiss etc etc. I expected the finale to be much more emotional and although I found myself on the verge of tears, I wasn't bawling. One thing that I can take from the disappointing ending is that it inspired me to make the ending of this chapter much more 'happier' and hopefully something that will have more closure. _

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**A Villa in Rome, Italy**_

_**12:00 P.M.**_

"Whoa. Whoaaaaaa. Chuck, dude! This is amazing! La vita italiano!" Morgan's Italian accent sounded exactly like Super Mario's and Chuck was glad to see that at least someone was excited by this relocation. "Dibs on the master bedroom." Morgan ran off and left Chuck and Casey to carry the rest of the luggage inside.

"Cheer up Bartowski. The mission can't last forever. Sarah will be back soon enough." Casey gave Chuck a small nudge in the ribs as he himself started to take in their new villa and the beautiful atmosphere. A smile appeared on Casey's face, something Chuck rarely saw.

"It's alright I guess… Don't see why Beckman HAD to send me out here right away though. Don't spies get _take-time-to-be-heartbroken _days off?" Chuck sulked as he grabbed the last piece out of luggage out of the car and started to walk towards the villa.

He found his way to the kitchen and saw Morgan making drinks. Calling it a kitchen was an understatement though, seeing as how it was probably bigger than his entire apartment back in Burbank.

"Women, who needs them? Come on Chuck, cheer up! You know, I wonder if it's true what they say about Italian women…" Morgan trailed off as he got a dazed look on his face.

Italian women were the furthest thing from Chuck's mind seeing as how thoughts of Sarah had been the only thing swirling around in his head the past three days. He still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Sarah had left. Her face was burned into his mind, he had been confident that something was wrong, that she was in danger somehow. But Beckman had assured him that she was fine, and simply undercover, doing her job. This was the one thing he loved about Sarah; she was amazing at what she did. Yet at the same time, she wasn't like other spies, she had become everything he wanted in girlfriend, she brought the best of both worlds to the relationship. Or whatever you wanted to call what they had. Chuck wasn't even sure he could call it that now, considering she had supposedly left with Shaw.

"Hey Bartowski! Snap out of it, we need still need to check in with Beckman. She's expecting a call from us."

"Screw Beckman, I'm taking a personal day." Chuck turned towards the door and walked away sulking.

_**March 29th, 2010**_

_**Woodcomb Residence (Burbank, CA)**_

_**10:00 A.M.**_

"What do you mean she's gone?" Ellie Bartowski had entered her protective sister mode and Chuck felt as if he was undergoing some sort of interrogation.

"Do you remember what I told you when Sarah and I had house-sat for a friend for a few days?"

"Yeah… Vaguely. Why?"

"Well Sarah and I realized that we could never be anything more than what we are right now and I want more than just this. El, I can't force Sarah to be with me and I can't make her change her views. I love her, but I can't just sit here waiting around for her to come around, _if_ she ever even does."

"I'm sorry Chuck… I know how much you love her…" Ellie pulled Chuck into a hug and he responded weakly. Although he was physically there, it felt as if he wasn't emotionally.

"That brings me to the next thing that I wanted to talk about with you. I know that you and Devon are thinking about going to Africa and that's great! You guys are moving on with your life and everything that has happened with Sarah has made me realize that I need to start moving on. I can't work at the Buy More forever and I need a change of scenery."

"Chuck, I'm glad to hear that you want to move on with your life, but Devon and I don't have to go to Africa right away. I mean if you need us, we'll just put Doctors without borders on hold for a while."

"El, come on, that's ridiculous! You and Devon can't babysit me forever, besides I'm sure they need you much more in Africa than I do here. You don't have to worry though; I received a job offer from a small company based in Rome. I'm gonna be doing some technical work for them and as of now, getting out of town sounds like the best thing for me to do."

"Wow Chuck! That's amazing, I'm so glad to hear that. I'm so proud of you. I always knew you were destined for great things." Ellie smiled at Chuck and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Aces Charles."

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**A Villa in Rome, Italy**_

_**12:34 P.M.**_

"Colonel, where's Agent Bartowski?"

"Uh, he's taking a personal day ma'am."

"A what?"

"Something about being heartbroken over Agent Walker. Are you sure that not telling Bartowski about Walker is a good idea? He doesn't seem to be handling this news that she 'left' any better."

"Are you questioning my orders Colonel Casey?"

"No Ma'am, just making an observation."

"It will be taken under consideration. But until we have a more established location on Shaw and Agent Walker, Chuck is to be kept unaware of the current situation regarding the two of them. Is that understood Colonel?"

"Loud and clear."

"Good. Now I don't care what you have to do, but get Bartowski ready for duty. Your first mission has already arrived. We believe that one of the seven elders will be attending a party tonight held by the Prime Minister, Mario Monti. As you know, the identities of the elders are unknown so you and Agent Bartowski are to pose as guests and see if Chuck flashes on anything. We believe that they will be making an exchange of Intel with another member of the ring. If you two can locate the ring agent before the exchange happens and wait until you're able to identify the elder, then we'll be able to get a much better track on not only Shaw and Agent Walker but the other six remaining elders as well. Mr. Grimes will monitor from the van." General Beckman said that last sentence reluctantly, as if questioning herself as to why she allowed Chuck to make Morgan an _official_ member of their team.

"Are we to arrest the ring agent or the elder upon identification?"

"Absolutely not! They are not to have any knowledge of the CIA's presence at the party tonight. Even a mere suspicion will trigger their alarms, causing them to go even deeper underground and we can't afford for this trail to go cold. We may lose Walker permanently if that happens. One last thing Colonel, I hope that I don't have to stress the importance of this mission to you. If Bartowski gets any hint that Walker is missing, he may act irrationally and that is something that we just cannot afford right now. The US government may not be so forgiving the second time you commit treason _Colonel_ Casey."

Beckman placed a special emphasis on his title and didn't need to say anymore, Casey understood the full implication of her words and found himself between a rock and a hard place. The monitor shut off and Casey was left standing alone in the room. He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Chuck, yet here he was lying to the poor sap about Walker's current status.

Casey shook his head and walked off, Beckman was right. The discovery of the identities of the seven elders was much more important than finding Sarah right now. There's no telling what Chuck would do if he found out about Walker's kidnapped status.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

**Ring Compound (Lyon, France)**

_**11:54 A.M.**_

"Enjoying your new quarters Sarah?" Shaw entered the small cell where Sarah had been kept in since they arrived. The only response from her was pure silence. "Fine, don't feel like talking? Even better, you can just listen. One of the elders is going to be attending a party held in Italy tonight. He's going to be making an exchange with another member of the ring. Once they receive the information, they'll be on a train to this location. Upon their arrival, that's when you finally get to see the outside of this cell. Your job is going to be infiltrating a nearby CIA base and inputting the Intel into their system. Then you need to run a trace on Chuck. He's gone off the map and we need to find him, the intersect is still very valuable to us. Once you've managed that, I'll pick you up and we'll return back here, to your nice 6x8 cell."

"You don't know where Chuck is. You might as well go on and kill me now then, because I'm not going to help you. I'd rather die than have to spend another minute with you anyways."

"Ah ah ah… Careful Agent Walker. You're right, we don't know where Chuck is right now, but that doesn't mean we don't currently have access to every single one of his friends and family." Shaw pulled out his phone and started reading from a list. "Ellie Bartowski, on call for the next 72 hours at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. Devon Woodcomb, just checked into Miami Fitness. Need I continue? If you refuse to cooperate with us, then we will harm every single person on this list. And when we find Chuck, which we will, with or without your help, he will be hear how every single person even remotely close to him is _dead_."

"_Shit…"_ It seemed as if Sarah had no choice anymore. Chuck loved his family more than anything and the one thing he had always been adamant about was keeping them safe and distant from the spy life. He constantly put their safety in front of his and they were just innocent civilians. Shaw knew exactly the reaction he would get from Sarah; he was taunting her, firstly with Chuck, and now his family.

"Fine."

"That's better." Shaw stood up from the chair and began walking towards the door.

"You have clearly underestimated Chuck and the CIA though. You think you're gonna get away with this Shaw? The only thing more powerful than the intersect is the man holding it."

Shaw let out a laugh. "Please, Chuck is nothing but a Buy More nerd. He's going to let his emotions get the best of him, like always. He was never meant to be spy and once we take that thing out of his head, he'll no longer have any protection from the CIA. Making it even easier to end his miserable life."

Shaw left Sarah with those words as she started to cry. She had never been in a situation like this before. She had been kidnapped before, spending almost a week in Turkish prison. She had even been used before, for her access to CIA files. This time was different though. A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her and she started to feel dizzy. The bed felt hard and cold as Sarah laid down on it, it had been almost 5 days with no sign of the CIA and no plan. Time was running out and she knew that Shaw wouldn't keep her alive a second longer than he had too.

Sarah's blinks started to become far and few between as her head hit the pillow. A good night's rest was something she had been without for almost a week and it was starting to catch up with her. _"Just a quick nap…"_ she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**A Villa in Rome, Italy**_

_**4:23 P.M.**_

"Come on Bartowski. We've got mission prep to do."

"Didn't you hear me earlier? I'm taking a personal day. Now get out." Chuck had lost his pants and he just sat in the middle of his room wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, Johnny Walker in hand.

"I don't care. Get up moron, we have work to do."

"Get. Out."

"Put on some pants and come with me."

Casey could see that Chuck wasn't going to budge. Chuck took another swig of whisky from the bottle and started going off on a rant that Casey could see was going to last a while.

"You know, she asked me to run away with her? In Prague. Yeah that's right. Sarah Walker wanted me. Charles Irving Bartowski. Son of Stephen and Mary. But hey, if she wants to run off with Shaw and go be CIA then good for her. 'Cause I'm done. I'm done with the CIA. I'm done with the government. I'm done being a spy. I'm going to enjoy some fine Italian food and alcohol courtesy of the American government and then I'm done! Screw Shaw and Sarah. Screw the CIA. Beckman can kiss my-"

"Bartowski!"

The alcohol had clearly had an effect on Chuck and it didn't look like he was going to be ready for duty anytime soon. The entire situation with Sarah had evidently affected Chuck and his ability to be a spy far worse than the CIA had anticipated. Casey knew the CIA. He knew how they worked. The moment they felt that Chuck was out of control, he would become a piece of government property. The moment they realized that Chuck was no longer a suitable intersect, they would start running tests. Working on a new intersect. And once that happened, Chuck would simply be a liability to the CIA. Casey knew how the CIA dealt with 'liabilities'.

Chuck was the best chance they had if they wanted to take down the ring and the seven elders, and find Sarah of course.

"Listen Bartowski…- Pineapple." Casey had overheard Jeff and Lester mentioning that as a code word for whenever the Buy More needed to close down immediately, he hoped that Chuck would get the hint. "Put on some damn pants and let's go get a pizza or something."

**April 1st, 2010**

**La Gallina Biance (Rome, Italy)**

**4:35 P.M.**

"Ok Casey, what is so important that you couldn't tell me at the house?"

"The entire house is bugged and I'd have a short lived reinstatement if Beckman knew I was telling you this."

Chuck stopped slouching and straightened his back, leaning forward to hear what Casey had to say.

"What's going on?"

"Sarah isn't undercover. We think she's been kidnapped by Shaw. He found out that she was the one who killed his wife. It was a part of her red test and we have reason to believe that he's working with the ring now and he's holding her hostage."

Chuck could feel the life pour back into him as Casey told him the truth. _"I was right all along!"_

"I knew it! So wait… Why would Beckman lie to me about it? Why would you lie to me about it? Casey! I thought you had my back."

"I do. And that's why I'm telling you now. Beckman and the CIA have been keeping a close watch on us since Burbank."

The alcohol that Chuck had previously consumed started to turn in his stomach and he felt it burn. Chuck could feel his face go red as his whole body filled with rage. What happened next was an out of body experience; Chuck didn't know what came over him.

A bunch of fighting images flashed in front of an overwhelmed Chuck.

He lunged forward and tackled Casey to the ground. The table fell over and everyone turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"Bar-tow-ski. Get off. You're making a scene." Casey found his strength and managed to push Chuck off of him. Chuck could feel all eyes on him as Casey pulled him off. "What the hell do you think you're doing Bartowski?"

Casey didn't give Chuck time to answer as he grabbed him by the arm practically dragged him out of the restaurant.

"Listen, if the CIA finds out that you know the truth, they'll put me in a nice 6x8 cell somewhere in the middle of the dessert and you'll be placed into 24 hour protective custody until they find Shaw and the seven elders. So it's in both our interests to keep quiet about this. Got it?"  
>Chuck nodded his head. He knew that Casey was a true American patriot but he believed him when he said that he was still looking out for both their best interests.<p>

"I'm sorry for uh what happened inside Casey… But I don't get why you had to lie to me. There were plenty of opportunities when you could have told me."

"You wouldn't have made it to Rome if I told you in Burbank. Knowing you, you would have been off to god knows where in search of Sarah. Finding and capturing the seven elders is the key to finding Shaw and Sarah. It's our best chance of saving her. And that's why the CIA isn't taking any risks with this mission. Like I said, they're not going to risk this mission by having an unstable intersect in the field, so play dumb."

"By the time the CIA finds out I know, I'll be long gone. I have to find Sarah Casey."

"Are you nuts? You won't get two miles before they find you."

"I don't get why Beckman lied to me about this though. I'm the intersect. I'm the best resource they have…"

"Beckman was worried your feelings would get involved and jeopardize the mission. Capturing the seven elders is extremely important Chuck."  
>"I don't really care at this point Casey. Saving Sarah is the only thing that matters to me right now."<p>

"Don't be an idiot. You don't even know where Shaw is. Working against the CIA is only going to slow down their search for her. If you really wanna help her, you'll go through with this mission. If Shaw is working with the ring that must mean he has some connection to the elders. Which means the moment we find them, the closer we are to saving Sarah. The minute you go rogue, the CIA puts all of their resources into finding you, and none into finding Sarah, so think about that carefully."

Chuck hated to admit it, but what Casey was saying actually made sense. He wanted to find Sarah more than anything but he also knew that if he went missing, the CIA would place a much greater importance on finding him than finding Sarah.

They had been so close to living the life they wanted. So close to finally being together. That's when Chuck made a promise to himself. He was going to save Sarah, and then he was done with the spy life. The action and adrenaline pumping missions weren't worth losing Sarah again for. _"One last mission…"_ He told this to himself, hoping to god that this really would be the last mission.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Outside the Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:06 P.M.**_

A small van was parked a block away from the Prime Minister's house and in it held team Bartowski.

"Ok Grimes, it's your job to keep a lookout for the man in this picture." Casey gave Morgan the picture of the ring agent that was supposed to be meeting with the elder. "When you find him, let us know and we'll take it from there."

"Yeah sure no problem buddy! I got this! And if things get a little messy in there and I can just come in and give them a little of this WHOOOOOWAHHH." Morgan karate-chopped the air, accidentally disconnecting one of the monitors, causing Casey to let out a low growl.

"Stay in the van Grimes."

"Yes Sir!" Morgan made a salute towards Casey and before he lost his temper, he grabbed Chuck and they left the van.

"Don't know why Beckman let him join the team." Casey mumbled as they both showed their invitations to the security at the gate.

"We have more important things to focus on right now Casey. Now put on that great big smile of yours and let's mingle."

*BZZZ*

"Hey Chuck buddy, saw some mini hotdogs in a bun somewhere. OOO YOUR 6 O'CLOCK GUYS!"

Casey and Chuck both turned to their six instantly.

"You found the agent?"

"Huh? What no! Mini hotdogs in a bun, Chuck loves 'em!"

"Listen idiot, stop screwing around. The agent. Find him."

*BZZZ*

"If that Grimes doesn't get himself killed, then I'll kill him myself. We're on the verge of taking down one of the biggest organizations in the world and he's keeping a lookout for mini hotdogs."

"Aw cut him some slack Casey. He's just excited to be a part of team Bartowski." Chuck flashed Casey a big grin. "Now come on, we need to split up and find the agent."

_**April 1st, 2010**_

**Ring Compound (Lyon, France)**

_**1:23 P.M.**_

"Change of plans Walker. Looks like we get to take another plane ride. It seems as if a couple of your CIA friends are going to be attending the party tonight, so you're going to be making the exchange instead. And before you even think about screwing this up for me, know that if anything goes wrong, Chuck's family dies. First, I think I'll kill off the brunette, she talks too much." Shaw smiled maliciously and Sarah refused to move. "Knowing the CIA, they're probably sending their best men tonight, so that means that you need to make sure they see you making the change. Try and sell it ok? After all, as far as they're concerned, you're missing. But when they see you making that exchange, you're going to be labelled a traitor, and who knows, maybe the CIA will even take care of the messy part for me. We leave in 20 minutes."

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Outside the Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:12 P.M.**_

Time was running out and Shaw would no longer need Sarah anymore. She needed to think of a way to alert Beckman or at least the CIA attending the party tonight, Shaw had planned this out to the tee. When the CIA would catch her exchanging information with a ring elder, she would be branded a traitor to her country, without a chance to defend herself. Whatever forces, if any, that were searching for her, would stop. She would be hunted and having always been on the directing end of those type of hunts, she knew it would be a _kill first, ask questions after_, type of situation once she was found.

"Enough stalling Sarah. It's time to move. The elder is going to be arriving in 15 minutes and we need to give the CIA enough time to spot and follow you to the location of the exchange. Here's the ear piece where I'll relay all further instructions. And remember, I'll be watching. Don't try anything clever." Shaw tapped the screen of the small laptop he was holding and headed off towards the van that was parked a few blocks away.

Sarah had a huge lump in her throat; she swallowed hard and walked up the steps towards the entrance of the palace.

"Ciao signora. Invito per favore." Sarah had spent a few months in Rome during an assignment when she was just starting out as an agent and thankfully she had picked up a little basic Italian. "Grazie." The two guards who took her invitation opened up the Palace doors and she stepped inside.

A grand staircase took the center of the room and they had obviously spared no expense with the decorations. A huge chandelier hung from above and the walls were filled with paintings ranging from small to enormous. It didn't matter which way she looked, she could see waiters buzzing back and forth carrying wine, appetizers, and even hot towels.

*BZZZ*

"Stay focused Sarah. The elder is going to be arriving soon and you still need to locate whoever is here from the CIA. Start moving."

*BZZZ*

She had started mingling and walking around, hoping to spot the CIA before they found her. After being an agent for nearly a decade, she could spot CIA, FBI, and even NSA from a mile away. They always had a tell about them. Perhaps it was something that she picked up from her father. Casey had quickly earned the nickname 'Cop Face' the first time her father and Casey met. She laughed quietly to herself, she missed Chuck so much. She was even missing Casey and the bearded one a little bit. Sarah rubbed the bottom of her eyelids quickly before a tear could escape, and continued to keep a look out for the CIA.

*BZZZ*

"I don't see any sign of the CIA yet Shaw. Sure you're not just losing it?"

*BZZZ*

She heard Shaw tell her something back through the ear piece but was distracted by a distant familiar laugh. It was one that she had definitely heard before. Then it clicked in her mind. This was the laugh that always made her smile, no matter how upset or angry she was. It was genuine and full of heart, but Chuck wasn't here. He couldn't be.

Sarah felt her stomach drop and she started to feel sweat forming on the back of her neck. Chuck couldn't be here. It wasn't safe. If Shaw realized that Chuck was here, he would take them both, after all, it seemed as if taking the intersect from the CIA was his biggest priority. The party had filled up by now and Sarah seemed to be constantly knocking elbows with everyone surrounding her.

"Excuse me. Perdono. I need to get through. Spostare per favore." Sarah had to find Chuck before Shaw spotted him on the monitors.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:13 P.M.**_

_*****_BZZZ*

"Whoa Chuck, dude. I don't know if it's this Italian air or maybe I left the engine running but I'm seeing things."

"What do you mean Morgan?" Chuck could hear the worry in Morgan's voice.

"This better not be another mini hotdog in a wiener thing Grimes…"

"It's mini hotdogs in a _bun_ Casey but nonono, it's not that. It's just that, I was going through the different surveillance cameras and I could swear that I saw Sarah enter the front door."

Chuck froze, this didn't make sense.

"Chuck? Buddy? You still there?"

"Yeah, sorry Morgan. Are you sure it was Sarah?"

"Yeah I mean she looked a little tired. Well more like exhausted. Like she hasn't been sleeping for days. You know? Like the insomnia exhaustion, not the tired exhaustion-"

"Get to the point Grimes!"

"Right. Anyways, I saw her walk in through the front door and she's been making her way through the party. I lost her in a mess of Italians though."

"Where did you see her last Morgan?" This was all too much for Chuck to handle. It had been less than a week since he had seen her go off with Shaw and just earlier today he had found out that his own boss was keeping him in the dark. And now, now she was allegedly at this party when she's supposed to be missing and being held hostage by Shaw. It didn't make sense.

"Dining room. I'll keep checking the cameras and let you know if I spot her again."

*BZZZ*

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:14 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*

"Ahoho, well isn't this a nice surprise. Looks like the CIA sent their burliest. I just spotted Casey. He's in the main foyer. Go make yourself noticed and then meet the elder. He's wearing a silver emerald ring on his middle finger. Hurry up."

*BZZZ*

Sarah made her way past the kitchen and dining room towards the main foyer. She knew that Shaw would be watching her every move from now until the exchange and there was no way she could talk to Casey privately. And Chuck. She could have sworn that that was _his_ laugh she had heard not two minutes ago. Sarah could feel Shaw's eyes watching her through the cameras and decided that finding Chuck would have to wait until she at least made the exchange, and then she just needed to slip out of view for a few minutes and find him.

The party hadn't seemed to get any less crowded so she continued to push her way through the mess of people. Once she made it to the main foyer she spotted Casey and needed to grab his attention somehow. She knew he was taught to be detail-oriented and he could spot any suspicious movement in a heartbeat, even in a crowded room.

As a waiter made his way past Sarah she stuck out her foot just slightly and he tripped and fell, spilling the champagne all over the surrounding guests. Everyone turned to see what had happened and Sarah quickly made her way out of the room, hoping that Casey would spot her.

Sarah had made it past the library and as she pulled out her pocket mirror to pretend to check her makeup, she saw that he wasn't far behind her. Sarah picked up the pace and finally made it to the study.

*BZZZ*

"Good job Sarah. Now make the exchange and meet me back at the van. There's a lovely 6x8 waiting for you back in France."

*BZZZ*

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:20 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*

"Hey Bartowski, I think I found Sarah. She's in the main study."

"Casey! Great! Is she ok?"

"Looks like it. Been keeping my distance though."

"What? Why Casey? We need to get her out of here before Shaw finds her. Come on!"

"Hold up. Doesn't any of this seem a bit suspicious to you? If she really did escape from Shaw, why would she be here? Something's up. And until we know for sure, we're keeping our distance. Just meet me in the main study and we can figure out where to go from here."

*BZZZ*

It took Chuck less than two minutes to get from one end of the palace to the other; his heart was pumping and could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"Casey! Where is she?"

Casey nodded his head backwards and Chuck's eyes scanned the room looking for Sarah. That's when he spotted her. She was wearing a form fitting teal gown. Her hair had been pulled up and she looked breathtaking; Morgan was right though, she did look tired.

Chuck started off towards her but Casey grabbed him by the back of his collar and held him back.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Look."

Impatience overwhelmed Chuck but he started to pay closer attention. Sarah was talking with an older man and he saw the older man give a USB to Sarah. As he handed Sarah the folder, he caught sight of the emerald ring on his finger and felt himself blink rapidly. Images and CIA files started flashing in front of Chuck's eyes.

"Casey! That ring he's wearing. Only 7 of them were ever made. Each given to-" Chuck didn't have time to finish his thought because he caught sight of an emblem on the USB. More pictures and redacted government files flashed before Chuck's eyes. "That emblem… It's… It's associated with the Ring. It contains highly classified information that wasn't even in the intersect. Most of the stuff is redacted. Casey, I think that's the ring elder that was supposed meet with the ring agent tonight. But then why is Sarah talking to him? This doesn't make sense."

It was as if their shoes had been filled with cement because both Chuck and Casey stood motionless as they watched Sarah loop her arm around the ring elder and they both made their way out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, so I've been having computer troubles so I apologize for delay but I hope you enjoy chapter 4. I'm gonna try and get chapter 5 up as soon as I can, but no promises. Furthermore, thanks again to **uplink2** for being an extremely helpful beta and catching a few small details that ended up making a big difference. R&R, looking forward to hearing what you guys think!_

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:25 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*

"Amazing performance Sarah." Sarah could hear Shaw clapping his hands through her earpiece. "The look on your boyfriend's face was priceless. I think it worked. Now meet me back at the van. We're going to lead Chuck right into-"

The feed was cut off before Shaw could finish whatever he was saying. Sarah was blindsided as she felt two familiar arms wrap around her and lead her quickly out of the hallway and into the kitchen.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:21 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*  
>"Hey Grimes, time for you to earn your place on the team."<p>

"No need to sneer Casey, I'm more than happy to do whatever it takes to help this team. Want me to come in there and do some kung fu? Show them a little bit of Jackie Cha-"

"Hey numbnuts, shut up and listen before you take out another monitor. We need you to disable the security feed. Disable all communications in and out of the palace."

"Oh. Yeah no problem I can do that." Morgan sounded slightly disappointed but Chuck and Casey could hear Morgan typing away furiously at the keyboard.

*BZZZ*

"Listen Chuck, we need to talk to Sarah, but we have to get her alone. Knowing the ring, they've got someone watching the place and we can't be seen talking with her."

Chuck hadn't said anything, he just stood in place. He was still processing everything that he had just seen. Sarah. _His_ Sarah. _His _Sarah exchanging intel with a ring elder. _His_ Sarah who was supposed to be missing and kidnapped and trying to escape from Shaw and the ring. But no, there she was. Attending a party with a ring elder. It didn't make sense. Maybe because he couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that she had actually left, that she had purposely chosen to leave with Shaw.

It was happening again. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him and his knees went weak. Chuck grabbed onto Casey as his knees dropped to the floor.

"Whoa whoa." Casey lifted Chuck back up and Chuck could feel himself losing consciousness, it was written all over his face and Casey stared a hole through him. "Listen Bartowski, we need to get to the bottom of whatever's going on here and your lady feelings can't be interfering with this. So just pull it together until we're out of here."

Chuck closed his eyes and tried to center himself, after what felt like hours, Chuck let go of Casey and managed to stand up on his own, he shook his head and finally said "Ok. What's next?"

*BZZZ*

"Hey guys, so as I was trying to disable the communications I noticed that there was a firewall up on one of the incoming connections into the palace. The thing is, it wasn't just any firewall, it had encryption and coding like I've never seen before. So I started trying to trace it back to the owner and once I figured that out, I saw that-"

"We're losing time here Grimes. Get to the point." Casey let out a low growl that he made sure made its way across the comms.

"As I was _saying_, the signal was coming from somewhere nearby. A few blocks from the palace."

"Great so the only thing you've confirmed is that there is someone else, the _ring_, doing exactly what you're doing right now."

"That's not all though. I hacked into a security camera of a nearby café that was right next to where the signal was coming from and when I was looking through the tape I saw something. Well someone-"

"Buddy, we're losing Sarah, what?" It was the first time that Chuck had spoken up in a while; he was getting impatient and started to get slightly dizzy again.

"Shaw is the one with the incoming connection into the palace. He's here Chuck. Like a few blocks away from the palace here."

"WHAT? What do you mean he's here?" Chuck turned to Casey with alarm all over his face. Casey was typically the rock of the team. The one who was always sure of their next move and although he would never admit it to Casey, Chuck relied a lot on Casey whenever he felt in danger. He knew that with Sarah and Casey on his team, he was the most protected person in the world. But at the moment they were one team member down so it was all on Casey to calm Chuck down. As Chuck stared back at Casey the only thing he saw was his own alarm and panic mirrored all over Casey's face.

"He's the one who's putting up the firewall. I can take down his signal but it'll stay down for a few minutes at the most. It's got really advanced encryption Chuck…"

Chuck started to think. He needed to get to Sarah without alerting Shaw or anyone other ring members that may have been planted as guests or staff in the party. He finally spoke and his confidence started to slowly creep back.

"Ok guys, here's the plan. Morgan, you're gonna disrupt Shaw's communications in and out of the palace. You're also gonna take down the security feed inside the palace. Casey, you and me are going to find Sarah and find out what's going on. Morgan, we'll go on your signal."

"Alright Chuck, let's do this! Just gonna do a little of this… And some of that…" Morgan cracked his knuckles and started working away. "Ok bud, I'm in. You've got 4 minutes."

*BZZZ*

Chuck and Casey didn't waste any time and sped off in the direction to which they last saw Sarah. They spotted her lingering in a hallway and saw their opportunity.

"Ok Casey, you go find Shaw. I'm gonna go after Sarah."

Casey knew exactly what Chuck was doing. He had seen it before with Lou and the salami incident. If Sarah was going to say anything incriminating Casey knew that Chuck would be sure to leave it out of his report and briefing with General Beckman.

"Don't do anything stupid Bartowski."

Casey started off in the other direction and Chuck approached Sarah from behind. He wrapped his arms around her and led her off to the kitchen.

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Prime Minister's Palace (Rome, Italy)**_

_**8:26 P.M.**_

"Mfffmm." Chuck had placed his hand over her mouth and only took it off when they were in the kitchen. None of staff seemed to understand English so they looked safe for now. "Chuck! What are you doing here?"

"What surprised to see me? Hope I'm not interrupting your little date with the RING elder." There was bitterness in every word that escaped Chuck's mouth and it was clear that those words hit close to home. Sarah could feel the tears pooling up in her eyes.

"Chuck… Listen please we can't be talking. You need to get out of here before Shaw finds you." There was worry in her voice and Chuck could sense it immediately as she tried to push him out of the kitchen.

"Sarah I want an explanation. I don't get what's going on. Casey said that you were kidnapped. That Shaw found your red test. And… And… And that I wasn't supposed to know any of this. Even Beckman is trying to keep me in the dark about all of this. Sarah I need to know what's going on…"

*BZZZ*

"You got two minutes left buddy."

*BZZZ*

Sarah approached Chuck and placed her hands on his hot cheeks. Her cold palms felt reassuring on his own warm face and she could feel him relax just the smallest bit.

"Chuck listen, everything that Casey told you is true. I know that you're probably really confused but there isn't enough time to answer all your questions right now. I'm so sorry. Shaw is planning something. Something big and I need to stop it."

And there she was. The Sarah Walker that Chuck had known for nearly 3 years. Being an agent first and a person second.

"Sarah… You don't _need_ to do anything. It's too dangerous. We could run. Morgan disabled Shaw's feed. We could leave right now and just start over." Chuck looked at Sarah with pleading eyes, she wanted to say yes. That's exactly what she wanted to do.

"They would just hunt us. Is that how you want to be? On the run for the rest of your life? You could never see Morgan or Ellie or Awesome ever again. You wouldn't be able to keep them safe either. Chuck, I know why you didn't choose to run away with me in Prague. You couldn't just abandon your family, I get that. You made the right decision in Prague. And as hard as it is right now, you have to make the right decision again now."

Chuck inched closer to Sarah; their faces hovering mere inches away from each other. As their faces got closer to each other he could smell familiar scent of vanilla escaping from her golden locks.

*BZZZ*

"Don't mean to rush you bud, but you've got a minute left."

*BZZZ*

"Prague was different. It's not the same now-"

"Yes it is Chuck! Listen to me, Shaw is threatening your family. Ellie, Awesome, everyone. I can't just leave. It's the only way they'll be safe." Chuck's hands balled into fists and he could feel the anger rush through his body. He had been inches away from having it all. From being with Sarah. From leaving the spy life for good. And then, Shaw had gone rogue.

Sarah lowered her hands and placed them onto Chuck's; he calmed down at her touch and sighed.

"It's too dangerous Sarah. I'm not going to risk losing you again." He grabbed her wrist and turned to leave but she resisted.

"Chuck…" She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and she just looked at him, hoping that he would be able to understand. "We have to stop Shaw and the ring. It's the only way we'll ever actually be free from the missions and spying and danger."

He knew she was right. And that's what killed him the most. He had his instincts telling him to listen to her, but his heart said something else. All he wanted was her. But at what cost was he ready to have it. At the cost of Ellie and Awesome and his friends' lives? Of course not, he could never live with himself knowing that he endangered their lives for his own selfish reasons.

Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah's waist and pulled her into a kiss. She draped her arms over his neck and allowed herself to be embraced by him. Her tears spilled onto Chuck's cheek and it took all her might to pull away from him; she feared that if she didn't right away, she would never be able to.

"I promise you Chuck, it'll all be ok." Chuck knew that Sarah didn't make promises lightly and that was probably the only thing that stopped him from whisking her away right then and there. "You just need to continue with your assignment. And I'll continue with mine." She rested her forehead against his, not wanting to separate from him. There was something about him and his touch that made her feel so safe, regardless of the situation.

"Sarah…"

"When all of this is over. And Shaw and the ring elders are locked up somewhere, we'll finally be together." She pulled away from him and her teary cobalt blue eyes met up with his chocolate brown ones. "I promise."

*BZZZ*

"Chuck, buddy, you really need to get out of there. The van is gone and Shaw's feed is back up. Seriously dude, it's time to go."

*BZZZ*

It seemed that Chuck didn't have any more time. The kitchen door slammed open and there Shaw stood aiming his glock right at Chuck.

"Well isn't this a nice turn of events. Looks like you saved me the trouble of having to hunt you down Chuck."

"Shaw, you said you wouldn't hurt him."

"I said a lot of things. But you're both here. And no backup. Looks like I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. Or one bullet actually."

By now the entire kitchen staff was frozen and no one dared to move.

*BZZZ*  
>"Hey Chuck buddy, you need to get out of there. Shaw is-"<p>

"He's here Morgan."

*BZZZ*

It seemed that Chuck didn't need to say anymore, Casey came bursting through the door a few seconds later with his own gun pointed at Shaw.

"Game over Shaw." Shaw placed his hands in the air but didn't drop his gun. He let out a laugh and just continued to approach Sarah and Chuck.

"It's not game over until I say it is Casey. Go ahead and shoot me. I've left specific orders in case I don't make it. Sarah knows exactly what they are." Sarah's stomach dropped as Shaw turned to her and shot her an icy glare. Kill Chuck's family was Shaw's orders.

"Casey, don't! He's going to kill Chuck's family." Sarah couldn't help herself, she couldn't risk it. She had made it this far and she had made a silent promise to not only Chuck but his family as well; she was going to keep them safe no matter what she had to do to keep that promise.

"Ok Casey, how about this: I take Sarah and the nerd. The three of us leave, and you don't die today. That sound good to you?"

"Don't think that's going to work here Shaw." Casey could hear the prime minister's security approaching the kitchen and he knew that they had less than a minute before they stormed the kitchen and screwed everything up. "Here's what's going to happen. We're all going to leave out the backdoor and you're going to follow us back to our van. You're under arrest, it's over Shaw. Make another move and I drop you right here." Casey released the safety of his gun and took another step closer to Shaw.

It was clear that Casey wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger and Sarah knew this better than anyone.

"Not even close Casey." In an instant Shaw hooked his arm around Chuck's neck and held the barrel of the gun against his temple, releasing the safety as well. "Drop your weapon or the intersect dies."

"Qui, andiamo!" The security was right outside the door and they kicked the door open, causing Casey to stumble and lose sight of Shaw.

Sarah wasn't going to let any harm come to Chuck so as soon as she saw the security rush through the kitchen door she threw herself towards Shaw, hoping to at least make him lose his balance. As Sarah's body hit Shaw's with all her might, they both fell to the ground and there was a metallic _clank_ as the gun left Shaw's hands and slid across the tiles. Chuck scrambled to get up but it seemed as if he was going back into another episode again; his knees gave out and the room started to spin. The security guards filled the kitchen with their guns pointed towards Chuck and Casey.

Shaw was still on the ground but he seized the opportunity to escape and he grabbed Sarah as he made his way out the back door.

Chuck started to chase after them but was quickly tackled to the ground by Italian security.

"Sarah no!" Chuck flashed and shook off the security guard atop him. He stood up and ran towards the backdoor, hoping to catch Shaw.

"Oof!" A heavier, beefier guard had launched himself at Chuck and they both fell down with crack as their bodies hit the stones in the pavement. Chuck had no more strength left in him to fight and all he could really do was let the security guard arrest him.

As he was dragged back inside he could hear the screeching of Shaw's tires and was left with nothing but a bruised body and the smell of burning rubber.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Wow. I apologize for the huge delay for this update. It has been a busy past few months and school has unfortunately kept me extremely busy. I've been working on this one periodically and I'm finally satisfied with it. If I have any readers left, hope you enjoy this chapter and I will truly try my best to have chapter 6 up by this weekend. Again, very sorry, and I hope to get back on a more regular writing schedule as my work load lightens up. Enjoy guys!**_

_**Also, a HUGE thanks to uplink2 for the push that I needed to get back into writing and for giving his (as usual) amazing feedback that helped polish up this chapter.**_

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**CIA Base in Italy (Exact location undisclosed)**_

_**12:34 A.M.**_

"Tell me Colonel Casey; what part of 'no knowledge of the CIA's presence at the party' did I not make clear enough?" General Beckman was a small woman but she was just as scarier, if not more, whenever she was barking orders through the monitor. "Agent Bartowski and _Mr._Grimes, do you have any explanation for your behaviour? The President himself had to phone the Italian prime minister in order to make sure no charges were pressed."

"The pre-pre-President?" Morgan stuttered and Casey elbowed him hard in the ribs before he could say anything else that would only infuriate the General more.

"You'd all have been left in jail if you weren't the goddamn intersect Agent Bartowski. You had simple orders and it somehow ended up with you three being arrested by the Italian police and creating a spectacle at the party. What the hell happened?"

"Well General, if I may,-"

"Can it Grimes." And with that Casey gave a swift kick to Morgan under the table.

"Considering tonight's events I think it's only fair to conclude that team Bartowski isn't as effective as it used to be." General Beckman leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. She removed her glasses and as she did, her anger disappeared. But it was simply just replaced with frustration and disappointment. "You will all debrief immediately, and after that this team is officially over. We can't risk any more distractions or mishaps due to your stupidity gentlemen."

_Stupidity?_ Chuck could feel the anger boiling within him. They probably wouldn't even be in this situation if she had bothered to tell Chuck the truth about Sarah's whereabouts. How could she just sit there and yell at them? They were just doing their job!

"General," Once again, Chuck had been silent most of the night after they were arrested and let go, but all he could really think of was what Sarah had told him. _They would be together; they just needed to complete this one last mission._ "I know Sarah isn't undercover. I know Shaw has gone rogue."

General Beckman's head shot up and shock was all over her face. She quickly turned to Casey and glared at him. "Colonel Casey!"

Casey turned to Chuck and he looked as if he was ready to add murder alongside treason to his list of felonies.

"They were at the party General."

"What?"

"Yes, I spotted them both at the party and Casey felt that it was his duty to inform me of the truth. It was the only way we could continue with the mission."

"What do you mean they were both at the party?" The three men had never seen Beckman so angry but Chuck believed that it was really just frustration and pressure from the higher-ups that was causing her to be so angry, mixed with Casey's disobedience and the team's giant international incident of course.

"The better question is why I was not informed of the truth. I'm an equal member of this team and one of your most valuable assets! You had no right to keep that from me."

If Beckman was going to bench not only Chuck, but Casey and Morgan as well, Chuck knew that the best chance anyone had at finding Sarah would be over and that would be that.

As Chuck started to think about what to say next, he realized that the base resembled Castle in a lot of ways, and it reminded Chuck of home. That prompted him to think of Sarah again. At the risk of losing his confidence, he pushed those thoughts aside and leaned against the steel table as he looked up at General Beckman. Several monitors were placed up on the wall, each one showing a different data report or security footage. As he began to talk, Chuck could feel all the withheld anger towards General Beckman for lying to him about Sarah creep up and overcome him.

"I'm willing to bet that you don't have a damn clue where Sarah or Shaw is right now. I bet the CIA is turning in circles and no one is doing anything to find Sarah!"

"Agent Bartowski! I am your superior!"

Protocols and ranks meant absolutely nothing to Chuck anymore because even the President of the United States couldn't save Sarah. Chuck was her best chance, regardless of what conventions he or the CIA were supposed to follow. He ignored Beckman's outburst and continued on while Casey and Morgan just watched in awe, both of them unable to find their voices and speak up.

"I don't give a damn about seniority. Sarah is missing and we need to find her. She has given most of her life to the CIA and it doesn't seem like you or anyone else is trying to find her. Right now, this team is your best chance at finding Sarah. If you bench us, you risk losing her forever. Is that something you're willing to explain to your bosses General Beckman? I'm the intersect and I know that it's going to take at _least_ six months for the CIA to find another viable candidate, by then Sarah will be dead and the ring will be so far underground, it'll be like they never existed. So General," Chuck had been yelling at the monitor but as soon as he realized how irrational and emotionally involved he sounded, his voice softened up. He had one chance to convince General Beckman that the three of them were the most qualified to continue with this mission. "Please just hear us out. I have a plan on how to find both Shaw and Sarah. Casey made an executive decision to tell me the truth about agent Walker and it was the vital to me being able to perform at my fullest as an agent and the intersect. Morgan was invaluable during this mission as he was able to not only get past the ring's advanced encryption but he was also able to take down surveillance long enough for Casey and me to approach Shaw without the ring's knowledge."

It had been about 5 hours since the whole incident and Chuck realized that he had been so preoccupied with his encounter with Sarah and what she said, he had never asked Casey was happened with Shaw. Clearly he wasn't going to admit that in front of Beckman but he made a mental note of it and continued on. Beckman hadn't spoken up yet so Chuck figured this was good sign. She simply leaned back in her chair and said nothing as Chuck began to recount the night's events, bit by bit.

When Chuck was finally finished, General Beckman leaned forward over her cherry wood desk and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Now it was her turn to make a decision, either bench all of them or, entrust team Bartowski to bring home Sarah alive, capture Shaw, and take down the ring.

"And General, CIA support or not, I'm bringing Sarah Walker back home."

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Enroute to a Ring Compound (Near Lyon, France)**_

_**11:31 P.M.**_

"Unbelievable! How could you screw this up Daniel?"

After Shaw had taken Sarah and escaped the party, they had met up with the ring director and were on their way back to the compound in France.

"The Prime Minister's men had already spotted Chuck and Casey and it was only a matter of time before they had me under arrest too. If the CIA gets their hands on me, it's over. The important thing is that both Casey and Chuck spotted Sarah with the ring elder and exchanging the information. Casey serves his country first and he _will_ tell his bosses about what he saw, I'm sure of that."

The ring director rubbed his forehead and sighed loudly. Clearly the night hadn't gone the way that was planned and this seemed to frustrate him more than anything.

"The plan was for Sarah to exchange the information with the elders. That's it! You weren't supposed to let the CIA get close to her at all. We don't know what Sarah might have told Chuck or the CIA, it _is_ over Daniel. We're compromised; I'm pulling the plug on this for now. The Ring can't risk being watched or even suspected of infiltrating the government databases. The Omen virus will just have to wait. We're going to have to go deep underground and find another way to make sure this plan succeeds."

The Ring Director told the driver to pull over and as soon as the car stopped, he stepped out of the vehicle. "I'll be flying to France privately in the morning. It's better if we travel separately, at least for the time being. The CIA's guard is up now and we won't be able to get any closer to them without their knowledge, I'm sure of that Daniel." It was clear that things had not gone according to plan and Shaw had screwed up badly. "Oh and one last thing," the director peeked his head inside the car just as he was about to leave. "Kill the girl."

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**CIA Base in Italy (Exact location undisclosed)**_

_**12:59 A.M.**_

"Gentleman," After several intense questions, an endless amount of shuffling papers, and rubbing her temples every 5 minutes, , General Beckman had simply been staring back the trio for the longest time and it looked as if she had finally made a decision. "Tonight, not only did you three create an international incident, you also embarrassed your country. Colonel Casey, you directly disobeyed my orders and as protocol dictates, that is grounds for immediate termination. Agent Bartowski, your spectacle at the Prime Minister's palace managed to warrant the involvement of both Italian authorities and the President of the United States, grounds for suspension. And finally, _Mr._Grimes," General Beckman just stared a hole through Morgan as he sunk lower and lower into his chair, almost as if he was trying to disappear into the chair. "Well I suppose that is my own fault for allowing a civilian, who did not have proper training or knowledge of protocol, on such as sensitive mission." There was some more shuffling of papers as the General gathered all the papers on her desk into one neat pile. The three gentlemen simply stood frozen as they watched her every move. "I can only conclude one thing from everything that I've seen tonight. Team Bartowski is most certainly ineffective as a team since Agent Walker's absence."

Chuck had a feeling of where this was going and he couldn't' let it happen. He tried to speak up but General Beckman simply placed her small hand up to the screen as if to silence him.

"So Mr. Grimes, Colonel Casey, and Agent Bartowski, there seems to be only one simple solution to this problem."

If the government wasn't going to help them find Sarah, then he would simply do it on his own. Chuck wasn't going to stick around to hear himself and the rest of his team being benched. As the former Nerd Herder sulked all the way to the door, he heard the General continue to speak, as if she hadn't even noticed that he was leaving.

"Find Sarah Walker and bring her home."

At the mention of Sarah's name, Chuck turned around instantly to face General Beckman. Although still remaining cold and professional, he could tell that there was a hint of hope and encouragement in her voice and the slightest curve upwards forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Now if you three will excuse me, it's still quite early here and I have an 8 A.M. meeting. Rest up. You will get your new mission briefing in 12 hours." And with those words, the screen turned black.

"Woohoo, we did it Chuck!" Morgan stood up and raced over to Chuck to give him a powerful high-five. Chuck couldn't move yet, he was still in disbelief but nonetheless, he was extremely happy inside. Maybe he was going to get his happy ending with Sarah Walker the Spy after all.

Casey just grunted something about having to now deal with tweedle-dee _and_ tweedle-dumb as he walked off to the armory to polish his guns.

"Looking forward to working with ya some more, big guy." Morgan shouted after Casey and the loud _slam_ of his door seemed to be Casey's only response.

"So now will you teach me some proper kung-fu Chuck? I'm gonna show those bad guys they messed with the wrong guy's best friend's girl!"

_**April 1st, 2010**_

_**Enroute to a Ring Compound (Near Lyon, France)**_

_**11:45 P.M.**_

Shaw was obviously frustrated by what the director had said because he started talking about a change of plans.

"Turn around, we're going back to Rome." Shaw leaned forward and ordered this to the driver of the car and after one swift u-turn, they were heading back in the direction they had just come from.

"What are you doing?" Sarah tried her best to hide the panic in her voice, Shaw was clearly unstable and that meant she had no idea of what he was going to do next.

"If the ring isn't going to help me, then I'll do it myself. The US government took my wife away from and now I'm going to make them pay."

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**A Villa in Rome, Italy**_

_**3:14 A.M.**_

The three exhausted men had finally arrived home and practically collapsed as soon as they entered the front door.

"Oh man, Chuck, I'm beat. Spy work is hard work."

Casey let out a laugh. "Spy work? You sat in van. And as far as I remember, you weren't the one who got knocked around by the 'polizi'."

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm telling you man, those guys copped a feel. Besides, brains over brawn any day."

"You saying I don't have brains?" Casey shot Morgan a look of anger, but was too tired to do anything, so he just made his way upstairs.

Chuck had remembered that he still needed to ask Casey what had happened with him and Shaw so he said goodnight to Morgan and followed Casey upstairs. Just as Casey was about to close the door, a black Chuck Taylor converse stood in the way.

"Owww!"

"What'd you do that for idiot? Everyone knows you stop a door with your heel, not your toes."

Chuck slowly and painfully pulled his foot towards him and leaned against the wood doorframe. It felt cold and hard against his bare skin considering he had been left with just a t-shirt, pants, and his black chucks after the Italian authorities had been through with him.

"What do you want Bartowski? It's late and I'm tired, and if I don't get my 9 hours, I get grumpy. Do you want to see me grumpy?" Casey omitted a low growl, and it seemed as if he suddenly towered over Chuck.

"Who would have thought, John Casey. A Mr. Grumpy." It had been a long couple of days and Chuck simply wanted to lighten the mood, even if it was just the smallest bit. Casey obviously didn't see it that way and attempted close the door once more. Chuck had learned his lesson and this time, it was his heel that prevented the door from closing. Unfortunately, it hurt just as much, Casey was a strong guy.

"Bartowski… Stop screwing around."

"Casey, I never asked you, what happened when we split up at the party and you went after Shaw, did you manage to find him?"

"Can't we do this in the morning?"

"No, Casey!"

Casey grumbled some more and finally stepped outside of his room.

"After we split up, I headed back to our van to grab my Mark XIX desert eagle, been wanting to use that baby since I got it, figured Shaw was the best person to use that first bullet on. But by the time I managed to find Shaw's location, he had already sped off towards the palace. I managed to grab a license number but Shaw's an agent. I'm sure he's taking all the possible precautions with this."

Chuck sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead, this wasn't the news he wanted to hear. So far all they had confirmed was that Sarah was somehow being forced to do the ring's dirty work, but they didn't have any clue where she could possibly be.

"Speaking of the party, what the hell happened? What was that little fainting spell you had?"

Chuck realized that he had been so wrapped up in finding Sarah and trying not to get benched, that he had completely forgotten about what was going on with him. His own problems had been pushed to the back of his mind because Sarah automatically took higher priority.

"I honestly don't have much of an explanation for that one either Casey. Ellie said that they couldn't figure out was wrong with me and she wanted to run more tests, but never got the chance too."

Just thinking about their entire situation started to give Chuck a headache again.

"Listen Bartowski, to each his own, but maybe you should get checked out…"

"No way Casey! I'll get benched. Not until we find Sarah." Chuck's voice got low as he approached Casey, he had a serious look all over his face and it was pretty obvious that he was serious about what he was going to say next. "You can't tell a certain GB, ok? She kept a secret from me, and now it's my turn. Just until Sarah is safe and sound and we've completed the mission. Ok?"

"I'm not your mother Bartowski. As long as you keep your lady feelings to yourself, your business is your business."

Chuck had been leaning against the wall the whole and he was starting to feel his left arm go slightly numb. This was the first time he had really noticed the villa, it was beautiful. They were standing in a long hallway that was painted a wine red with paintings that covered most of the walls. There was an archway made of stone that ended the hall that had already made painful memories for Morgan, that's what he got for wandering around in the middle of the night with no lights on though.

Golden candle holders were placed all along the walls between the paintings but it seemed as if the candles in them hadn't been used in the longest time, the wax had dried leaving drips of white wax running down the candle.

As Chuck turned around to head towards his own room, he could almost hear his bed practically begging him to come sleep.

"Oh and Casey?" Chuck turned around just before heading around the hall and Casey looked as if his patience was running thin.

"What?"

"Thanks for everything. I really appreciate all your help and support with-"

_Wham!_ Casey slammed the door behind him before Chuck could finish his sentence.

"Goodnight to you too!" Chuck shouted after him. "Eh, I bet he's a just a big softy deep down." Chuck laughed quietly to himself at that thought and continued towards his bed that seemed more and more like a beautiful plushy cloud.

He hadn't been benched, Casey and Morgan were helping him to find Sarah and take down the ring, and when all of this was over, he would finally get to have the future he had been dreaming of for so long.

As Chuck's head hit the pillow with a big smile planted on it, he realized that he had the backing of the entire CIA; maybe everything would turn out ok.

Maybe this really would be their last mission.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **_**Hey guys, so I know I said that I would have something up by this past weekend, but I got a case of writer's block and only managed to break through yesterday. I also know that this chapter is a lot shorter in comparison to my previous chapters, and so I apologize for that as well. I was happy with the way this chapter turned out and that's why I decided to end it shorter than usual. Of course, a BIG** **thanks to uplink2 for his advice on how to overcome writer's block, his suggestions on how to improve this chapter, and catching the overuse (7 times to be exact) of a word in a small amount of text lol. One thing I can promise you guys is a much more normal length chapter next time. I can't promise when, but it will be good! I can't stress this enough but thank you all for your patience and comments; keep reading and reviewing **** Oh yeah, forgot this last time, but I don't own Chuck… sadly. Until next time!**

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Somewhere in Europe (Exact location unknown)**_

_**9:59 A.M.**_

"Council, we're going to have delay."

"I don't understand Mr. Director. Last time we spoke, you said that everything was going according to plan." A small woman spoke from behind a podium in the center of the room.

"I've just become aware of some new information. We think the CIA may be knowledgeable in our plans regarding the Omen virus. Launching a full frontal attack would not be smart right now. If they even suspect us, they're security will be air tight and we shouldn't risk being caught. According to Daniel, they have absolutely no knowledge of our whereabouts or even your identities. It would be safest if we just fell back until the next available opportunity."

"Next available opportunity? It's been two years already! The 'next available opportunity' may not happen for a long time Mr. Director. A lot can happen in between then." This time it was a very tall and gruff man speaking from his own podium situated near the far left of the room.

"This is unacceptable! We had everything calculated, how the hell did they find out?"

"How do we know they're not closing in on our location right now?"

"Only 9 people in the entire knew about this. Us, you, and Daniel. It was highly sensitive information."

The Ring director was standing in one end of the room while dim lights shone above 7 separate podiums across the room. By now the elders had given up taking turns and were shouting out demands and questions.

The director could feel the sweat forming on the back of his neck and his tie getting tighter around his neck.

"There was a slight complication during the exchange at the Prime Minister's palace-"

"What do you mean 'a slight complication'?"

"The intersect was able to come in contact with Ms. Walker. It was for a very brief period of time though. It is my advice that we take precautions and wait until a more appropriate time."

A fist slammed against the wooden podium and its sound echoed throughout the room.

"How was Ms. Walker ever allowed to come in contact with the Intersect? Or any member of the CIA for that matter. I thought she was being held in France."

"Well, we thought it would be a better idea if she made the exchange because-"

"You directly disobeyed orders! This had been decided long ago. We can't delay anymore. The Ring has spent too much waiting around on the sidelines. The Omen virus is ready and we are prepared to infiltrate the CIA database. After we've successfully gained access to all of their top secret files, we'll not only be able to build our own intersect, we'll also be able to determine the location and identity of the current intersect. But unfortunately, it seems we entrusted the task of overlooking this project to the wrong person."

The small woman in the center lifted up her right hand and held her index and ring finger up. She motioned for someone to step forward.

The director could feel an ominous presence appear behind him and the cold steel of a revolver was placed on the back of his head.

_Ping Ping_

A small _ping_ noise came from the director's pocket and he pulled out his phone. He took a quick glance and a small smile appeared on his face. He tried to keep his cool before speaking once more.

"Council, it seems we won't have to delay any further. I've come in contact with someone who has a very important piece of technology that will allow us to penetrate the CIA's security without their knowledge. This technology will allow us to keep our identities and location a secret."

The small woman placed her hand back up, signalling the man behind the director to stop.

"And you're sure of this?"

"I'll be meeting with him at 6 today. A small winery just outside of Rome. Everything should go according to plan and then we will be back on schedule."

The 7 elders began to converse among themselves and several nods of agreement were made as they reached a decision.

"We've discussed it and we believe that-"

The gruff man spoke up for the second time during that meeting and interrupted the small woman who had started to speak.

"You have 48 hours. Do not disappoint us."

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**A Villa in Rome, Italy**_

_**12:12 P.M.**_

"Good afternoon gentlemen, I hope you've had a goodnight's sleep because our team here in Washington has been working around the clock to try and make some sort of connection with your flashes from last night. We were successful. Chuck, you flashed on the ring that the elder was wearing during the party and we were able to trace it back to its origin. Since there are 7 elders, 7 rings were produced in a different part of the world, and as appropriate, distributed to each Ring elder. Although we weren't able to use your flash to discover the identities of the other elders, we do have a plan that will lead us to the identities and whereabouts of the Ring, the elders, and hopefully Shaw and Sarah. We were also able to link the emblem on the USB that Chuck flashed on to a communication line belonging to the Ring director, and we've set up a meeting with him." General Beckman turned to face Morgan, she had a hesitant look on her face, and it didn't take Chuck and Casey long to figure out where she was heading with this.

"Absolutely not General! There has to be someone else. He doesn't have the training, skills, or brains."

"We have no other choice Colonel Casey. The Ring knows both yours and Chuck's identity, he's our only choice. It's going to take much too long to train and brief someone else."

All eyes in the room seemed to be on Morgan.

"I don't get it guys, what's going on?"

"Mr. Grimes, you will be posing as Eric Humber, an international arms dealer who has a very important piece of classified technology. You will be meeting with the Ring director to trade this piece of technology with him. We've created a virus that will be able to intercept all messages sent in and out of that communication line. We're hoping that this will be able to give us a more secure location on the whereabouts of the rest of the elders, and Shaw and Sarah."

"W-w-what? You want me to take point GB? Well if my country needs me, I can't let it down." Morgan was bursting with excitement while Casey just headed off towards the armory muttering something about how this mission was already a failure.

"Mr. Grimes! Your mission is simple. Say as few words as possible and make the exchange. Nothing more. Is that clear? This mission is extremely sensitive and we only have one shot at this. Is that understood?" General Beckman was shooting Morgan a deadly look but she looked as doubtful as Casey.

"Hey no problem! I can handle anything. Ooo! Can I have an accent? 'Ello Mr. Ring Director. What do you think guys?"

General Beckman rubbed her forehead and sighed loudly. "I'll forward the information of the meeting. Good day gentlemen." And with a click the screen went dark.

"Whoa Chuck! I can't believe it! I get to take point. Take that Mr. John Casey. Ok first things first, we need codenames. I'll be… Black Cobra! Chuck, you can be-"

"Hey numbnuts! This is serious. Stop screwing around and go get ready."

"Sounds like someone got bit by the green monster, called jealousy!" Morgan was clearly enjoying his new role in the team and had no problem gloating and even antagonizing Casey.

Casey turned to face Morgan and let out a growl, causing Morgan to take a step back.

"Uh, he's right. I better get ready, see you guys!" Morgan ran off before Casey could take another step forward.

"He's just excited Casey." Chuck let out a weak smile.

Morgan was his best friend and he loved him, but he himself felt as unsure of Morgan taking point as Casey and General Beckman let out. If the Ring got wind that the CIA was onto them, they would sprint in the other direction and they would lose Shaw and Sarah. He shook those thoughts away and headed for his room. This had to succeed, failure wasn't an option. Failure meant losing Sarah and that wasn't something Chuck was going to let happen.

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Enroute towards Italy (Exact location unknown)**_

_**12:12 A.M.**_

"Shaw, what the hell are you doing?" Sarah couldn't hold back any longer. Shaw had completely lost it and that made him unpredictable. She hated unpredictable.

"If the Ring wants to hide from the CIA until it's an 'ideal' time, they can go right ahead. But I'm not waiting any longer. The US government took my wife from me and for that, they're going to pay. I'm done beating around the bush, I'm going to hit them right where it hurts, their most valuable asset. One Mr. Chuck Bartowski."

"Chuck has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh but he does. If the CIA no longer as him, they're weak. The intersect is their most valuable asset, and without it, they're valuable. It's their security blanket, and the moment it goes missing, they're in a panic. Just think about it, the amount of top secret information, at the hands of some of the world's most dangerous."

Sarah knew everything that he was saying was true. He was the most valuable thing to the entire US government and if something happened to the intersect, that's where they would re-focus all their attention. Just the thought of something happening to Chuck or even his family, made Sarah both angry and vulnerable. She also hated feeling vulnerable.

As Shaw began to focus his attention on his laptop, Sarah let out a swift kick, making sure her heels dug into Shaw's legs. To her surprise, Shaw didn't retaliate physically; he just threw her feet off of him and began to rub his legs. A menacing glare began to appear on his face and this caused Sarah's stomach to drop.

"If I didn't need you, you'd be left for dead on the side of this road."

"Might as well drop me off now, because I won't do anything to help you hurt Chuck."

"The moment you stop cooperating Agent Walker, I kill you. And Chuck's family. And then when I find Chuck, which I will, I'll kill him too. Nice and slow. But since I no longer have the support of the Ring, you're going to help me find Chuck. In fact, you're going to bring Chuck to me."

Shaw let out another grimace and with one blow to head, Sarah was knocked out.

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Small Winery outside of Rome**_

_**5:58 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*

"Ok Grimes, don't screw this up, or I'll kill you myself."

"Have a little faith Casey. I got this!"

*BZZZ*

Casey turned to Chuck, who seemed as if he was ready to drop dead. All the color had left his face and he was fidgeting with some files. He placed a firm hand on Chuck's shoulder and squeezed it.

"We're gonna find her Chuck, don't worry. If anything goes wrong inside, we just intercept the director as he makes his way out."

The meeting place had been set inside a small winery just outside of Rome, it was the perfect place. Practically in the middle of nowhere, and very few witnesses to take care of in case something went wrong. Morgan had already made his way inside and was waiting for the Ring director to show up. Casey and Chuck were installed in a 'delivery' van just outside of the actual winery, ready to provide backup if needed.

Chuck turned his wrist over to check the time.

"It's 6. They should be here any minute." He took a deep breath and put on his headset, completely ignoring John Casey's words.

*BZZZ*

"Ok Morgan, they just pulled up. Remember, keep it simple. Say as little as possible and just make the exchange."

"Chuck, buddy, don't worry, I've got your back. Won't let you down! Ooo they just entered, should I-"

"Stop talking into your watch moron. Do you want them to know you're talking to the CIA? Idiot."

Chuck was just typing away furiously into his laptop.

"Ok Morgan, we're tapped into the security feed. Good luck buddy, we're counting on you."

*BZZZ*

Chuck was trying his hardest not to show his impatience or anxiousness. He knew that Morgan was just as nervous as he was and he needed to be strong for Morgan's sake. At this moment, Sarah's future rested on Morgan's shoulders. He took a deep breath and just tried to stay focused. Thinking like that only increased his anxiousness and stress levels, and a stressed out Chuck was never good.

He started tapping his foot against the metal floor of the van, just staring through the front doors of the winery. As the minutes passed, worse and worse thoughts began to fill Chuck's head.

What if they discovered Morgan was really working for the CIA?

What if they killed Morgan?

What if they managed to escape and Sarah was gone forever?

Chuck became lost in his own thoughts. He had never been this nervous before in his life. It's as if an elephant was sitting on his chest. Breathing became harder, and the small compartment of the van started to close in on him. Thank god he was sitting or he would probably be sprawled all over the floor right now.

A small nudge from an oblivious Casey brought Chuck's attention back to their mission and his breaths began to regulate.

"Deal went through." He nodded his head towards the security feed. Chuck saw the Ring director shaking hands with Morgan and then heading towards the door, virus infected USB in hand.

Chuck let out a long breath.

*BZZZ*

"See told you guys, it was no big deal. I got this." Morgan made a thumbs up sign towards the camera and Chuck smiled. His best friend had pulled through for him.

"Oh Mr. Humber? One last thing." The Ring director's voice was faint but Casey and Chuck could see that he had re-entered the room.

The Ring director reached into his breast pocket and before Casey and Chuck even had time to react, he pulled out a silencer. With two quick shots to the chest Morgan was down on the ground and the director was already speeding off from the winery.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I know it's been a while but I promised you guys a full length chapter so here it is. Hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think! Your comments really give me motivation to write. Like last time, not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I promise it'll be good! As always, thanks to uplink2 for his kind words and suggestions on how to improve this chapter, the small things really do seem to make a difference. Unfortunately nothing has changed since last time and I still don't own Chuck lol. Anyways, until next time!**_

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Small Winery outside of Rome**_

_**6:10 P.M.**_

"Morgan! Buddy!"

Chuck and Casey had both bolted from the van and were inside the room where Morgan had just been shot within 30 seconds.

Chuck fell to his knees next to Morgan and began shaking him furiously.

"Ouf. That hurt a lot more than you said it would Casey." Morgan let out a couple coughs and shook his head. "It was nothing like the movies."

"How would you know what they feel in the movies numbnuts?"

"They get shot and then bam! Two seconds later they're up and fighting again."

Morgan began unbuttoning his shirt only to reveal a grey bulletproof vest, which now had two freshly made holes.

Chuck flashed Morgan his typical 'Chuck' smile and let out a big sigh of relief. Of course he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Morgan gave his best friend a small nudge and let out a big grin of his own.

"Told you I wouldn't let you down buddy. And plus, now we know Casey likes me. The bulletproof vest was his idea."

Casey, who was wiping the room clean, just grumbled and kept tidying up.

"Just didn't want to clean up your blood. I've got better things to do."

"Come on big guy, we know the Morgan charm has worked its way into that cold heart of yours."

"I'll be in the van, too many lady feelings in here." Casey just kept grumbling as he left the winery.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Chuck and Morgan both knew that Casey cared.

Morgan latched his own arm onto Chuck's as he got pulled up. He quickly dusted himself off and started to take off the vest. "The jolly green giant over there didn't tell me how heavy these things were."

There was a small _thud_ as Morgan dropped the vest on the table and took a seat.

"Great job buddy, I knew you'd pull through."

"I know this is important to you Chuck, I wouldn't let you down. I've got your back and you've got mine! What're best friends for? Don't worry, we're gonna get Sarah back, it's only a matter of time."

Considering the success of this mission, Chuck really wanted to believe that, but he also had to remain realistic. So far, he had let his feelings get in the way, leaving him distracted and absentminded. If there was any time to focus, it was now. Like Morgan said, it was only a matter of time until Sarah was safe and he just needed to concentrate until then.

*BZZ*

"You ladies wanna keep talking all day? Or can we get a move on and report back to Beckman?"

*BZZ*

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Old warehouse near Rome (Exact location unknown)**_

_**5:14 P.M.**_

When Sarah woke up, she found herself tied to a wooden chair with rope; thankfully she was at least prepared for this type of situation. She started fidgeting with her hands, trying to locate her ring that had a small blade in it.

"Looking for this?" Shaw appeared in front of Sarah and held up a small gold ring with an emerald stone. "Thought you might try and do something stupid like escape."

"I'm done playing your stupid games Shaw!" Sarah knew that she would never do anything to allow Chuck and his family to come to harm, but each day being held captive was getting harder and harder.

"Don't worry; it'll all be over soon." Shaw pulled out his pistol and aimed it right between Sarah's eyes; there was a small _click_ as he released the safety. He let out a laugh and continued on. "But not yet. I still need you."

With another _click_, Shaw holstered his gun and continued talking.

Sarah wasn't paying attention to what he was saying though. She started looking around, trying to get an idea of where she was. It was a large room with cement floors and walls and aside from her chair, the only other objects in the room were boxes, all stacked on top of each other. She suspected that she was in a warehouse of some kind, but there were so few windows, it was almost impossible for her to figure out where she was.

"Glad we're clear. See you in a bit Ms. Walker." Shaw's words brought Sarah back down to earth but by the time she had focused clearly, he was already heading towards the door.

_**April 2nd, 2010**_

_**Villa in Rome **_

_**7:18 P.M.**_

"Congratulations gentlemen, the mission was a success and the tracker has gone live. We've already started intercepting communications going in and out of the Ring director's personal line. The moment we get something solid, we'll be en route. So until then, stay alert and be prepared to move out at any moment."

"Hey GB, any chance I could catch a couple of ZZZs before we head out? Getting shot in the chest is pretty tiring." Morgan rubbed the spot on his chest where he had been shot and let out a smile towards General Beckman.

She seemed to be getting more and more infuriated by the second.

"_Mr._ Grimes, as to why I ever let you be a part of this team is still a surprise. But no. You may not 'catch a couple of ZZZs'."

"Aw come on GB! Just a quick nap! Oh yeah, I was wondering, are repair expenses covered? 'Cause uh, there may or may not be a hole in the wall upstairs. Funny story actually-"

A small growl was let out. Chuck turned to Casey, but was surprised to find out that this time, it was coming from General Beckman.

"You're walking on very thin ice Mr. Grimes." By now, her voice was raised and it was clear that Morgan had been successful in irritating General Beckman, considering she was generally a very calm and patient woman.

Casey turned to Morgan and gave him a hard nudge where he had been shot. "Can it moron!"

"They charge an arm and a leg for repairs here Casey! I already checked and considering I'm doing a service for the CIA, they should cover repair costs. A BuyMore salary doesn't buy caviar if you know what I mean."

General Beckman shot Morgan one last icy look and broke the connection.

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" Casey was once again muttering to himself as he walked off. Probably heading towards the armory to polish his guns. Ironically enough, anything to do with guns were the one thing that calmed him down.

"Hey Chuck, you've been awfully quiet lately. What's up? Thinking about Sarah?"

It's true, while all of the banter had been going on between Casey, General Beckman, and Morgan, Chuck had been typing away on his laptop.

"Oh no buddy. Just trying to do some spy work. I can't help but think we missed something at the party."

"What do you mean Chuck?"

"Like some security footage or something like that. Anything that's gonna help us find Shaw. Emotionally, that guy is swiss cheese. Who knows what he's doing to Sarah." Chuck looked sadly at his screen. "She said that he was going to hurt Ellie and Devon if she didn't help him. It's my entire fault Morgan. I should never have let him take her away at the party."

"Yeah buddy, about that, uh Casey told me about your fainting spells. I saw the cam footage from the kitchen at the party. What happened dude? You just… collapsed."

"I don't know Morgan. But that's not important right now. What's important is finding Sarah."

"What do you mean it's not important? Of course it is! This is your health buddy, Have you gotten it checked out?"

"Ellie ran some scans back in California, but came up with nothing. I'm just thankful she was too busy packing to keep bugging me about it."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner Chuck? I thought we were best friends. You have to tell General Beckman. It's not safe for you to be out in the field like this. You've been lucky! What if you had collapsed and Shaw had taken you? Huh? What then?"

Thinking back, Chuck had only seen Morgan genuinely mad once in their entire friendship. Even though there was a significant height difference, he still felt intimated as his best friend berated him for keeping this a secret.

"Morgan, I know you're worried, but I've got it all under control. Don't worry. Once Sarah is safe and sound, I'll get checked out, I promise."

"Not good enough Chuck. I'm sorry buddy, but I don't ever have to want to tell Ellie that something happened to you. I couldn't live with myself if I just let you endanger yourself." Morgan started heading toward the big screen and begun contacting General Beckman.

"Morgan! No!" Chuck eyelids fluttered and several images flashed in front of him. He charged full speed at Morgan and tackled him to the ground before he could establish a connection with the General.

"Chuck! What the hell?"

"I can't let you tell Beckman. She'll bench me for sure. Please Morgan. I'm begging you; we're so close to finding Sarah, just keep this a secret a little while longer."

Considering the fact that Chuck had Morgan in a choke hold, it didn't seem like Morgan had a choice.

"Fine." Morgan managed to cough out the one word before Chuck released him. He let out several more coughs as he rubbed his neck.

"Thanks buddy."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if the CIA doesn't cover that hole in the wall, you are. You owe me one!"

Chuck let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Of course buddy, anything you want. Now come on, let's go see if Casey needs any help. You know, the other day, I heard him talking so highly about you bud."

"Really Chuck? That's awesome. Hey Casey! Secret's out! I know you like me."

Morgan ran off ahead of Chuck towards the armory. This nightmare was going to be over soon; the life he had envisioned for him and Sarah was actually going to come true. Chuck smiled at the thought and headed in the same direction that his best friend had gone in.

_**March 28th, 2010**_

_**Viceroy Hotel (Santa Monica, CA)**_

_**5:35 P.M**_

Sarah entered her hotel room and threw herself on top of her bed. From the time she could remember, every decision she ever made had been clear. It may have been hard, but it was clear, up until today at least.

It was all Chuck's fault. Out of all the people to get the intersect, it had to be him. He wasn't the most handsome guy she'd ever met. Or even the brightest. But he was Chuck; dorky and charming at the same time.

She sighed loudly and kicked off her heels. _Get a grip Sarah. You sound like a lovesick teenager. _

Whatever she chose to do, there was no looking back. Looking back got you killed. Or worse, captured.

Sarah Walker was compromised and this time, there was no running away from it. She had to make a decision. Run away with Chuck, someone who she was crazy about, or go to D.C. with Shaw. All her years with the CIA would be thrown out the window if she ran away with Chuck, or as he was known to the CIA, the intersect. The long nights and countless bruises and scars would all be forgotten. She would have to start a new life, new identity, everything. That wasn't what scared her though. Living with her dad most of her life, she had been on the run. Going from Lisa to Jenny Burton from town to town.

Starting over isn't what scared the living daylights out of Sarah. It was Chuck. It was the closeness she felt with him. It was something she had never felt before.

The last time she let herself become close to somebody was Bryce. And when he died, or rather at his 'funeral', she was reminded of exactly why she had been closed off all these years. Or even when Chuck refused to run away with her in Prague. Scars and bruises were nothing compared to the emotional pain she felt when he said no.

Having emotions meant getting hurt. And Sarah wasn't deemed the 'ice queen' for no reason. That's what made her so good at her job, her ability to separate feelings and objectives. But now here she was, unable to focus on her job because she was compromised. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't.

With little effort, Sarah sat up and reached for her phone that was sitting on her night table. She pressed the small power button at the top and her iPhone lit up. A picture of her and Chuck filled the screen, Photoshop could really do anything.

With a small _click_ she unlocked her phone and opened her messages.

Empty.

She started typing a new message but quickly deleted it all and went to her contacts. Names flew by as Sarah scrolled down, until she found Chuck's name.

Knowing Chuck, he was probably already at the airport, pacing back and forth throughout the terminals.

Sarah let out a small smile as she thought of him. She clicked his name on her phone and hesitated before pressing the call button. The moment she heard his voice, the decision would be clear. Right now, that was the only thing she was sure of.

She clicked the call button and held the phone to her ear.

_Ring ring ring._

No answer.

Her finger was already reaching for the 'End Call' button when she heard his voice.

"Hi this is Chuck Bartowski…'s voicemail. I can't take your call right now so please leave a message. Unless it's Jeff or Lester. Then just hang up and don't call again."

And that was all she needed to hear. The sound of his voice made her startle and she quickly hung up. A wave of relief rushed over her, the decision was now clear.

Lunging off her bed, Sarah grabbed her suitcase and started filling it with every piece of clothing within arm's reach. A knock on the door interrupted her speedy packing.

As she opened the door, she was surprised to see who was standing there.

John Casey.

_**April 3rd, 2010**_

_**Villa in Rome **_

_**3:29 A.M.**_

It had been more than 4 hours since they last talked with General Beckman and the three men were starting to get restless. Chuck wondered how Ellie and Devon did their on-call shifts, waiting around was so boring and tiring.

Chuck had gone over all of the surveillance video 3 times, caught up on all his paperwork, and had even completed 3 Sudoku puzzles. Every minute he spent waiting around his mind kept going to the worst possibility. He could feel his legs falling asleep so Chuck pushed his chair back and stood up.

As Chuck glanced over to his left, he saw Morgan sprawled all over the metal desk amidst papers and wrappers, fast asleep as a small pool of drool started to form next to his mouth. Casey didn't seem to be near so he made his way towards the armory.

Casey hadn't moved an inch since Chuck last saw him. Every gun in the armory practically sparkled and Chuck guessed that Casey was cleaning every gun for the second time around.

"Hey Casey!"

Without even looking up, Casey replied, cold and disconnected as usual. "Bartowski. Any word from Beckman?"

Chuck shook his head but then realized that Casey was so focused on his guns, he wouldn't have noticed anyways. "Nah. Morgan's out cold though."

Chuck stuffed his fists in his pockets and left the armory, heading to explore the rest of the villa. Just as he was about to leave Castle, a beep emitted from the large screen, a flustered General Beckman appeared on the monitor.

"Agent Bartowski, glad to see you're still up. I have news." General Beckman glanced over at Morgan and several more wrinkles appeared on her forehead. "Ah-em. Ah-em! AH-EM!"

Nothing from Morgan, granted, he could probably sleep through an atomic bomb. As Casey entered the room, he hit Morgan on the back of his head with a roll of papers. "Wake up Grimes. Mission time."

"No…No… Not Chewbacca… He's a collectible!" Morgan's head shot up in an instant as Casey hit him once more with the roll of papers. "General! I wasn't sleeping! I was just… just…"

General Beckman looked displeased but continued on with the briefing.

"We caught several emails indicating that the Ring director, along with the 7 elders, will be attending a small gathering tonight at 7:00 P.M."

"Any word about Shaw or Sarah? Are they going to be there?"

"Mr. Bartowski, I know you're impatient, but right now, this is our best lead on them so remember to stay focused. The 7 elders have never been altogether at once and this may be our only opportunity to identify and capture all 7 successfully. They are the heads of the Ring operation and if we take them down, we take down the organization. That means everyone needs to stay focused because we can't afford any screw ups. Is that clear?" An icy glare was shot in Morgan's direction as the General made herself clear.

With a quick salute, Morgan happily agreed and couldn't wait to get started.

"Of course General. But how are we going to identify the elders?"

"Although there is no explicit information in the intersect that identifies the elders, Chuck was able to flash on the ring that the elder at the party was wearing. We're hoping that this will be the case this time around as well. So Chuck, your focus is critical tonight. The entire mission's success depends on you."

"No pressure huh General?" Chuck let out a small laugh and swallowed hard.

"It's been a long night Gentlemen, get some rest and you'll be briefed in the afternoon."

_**April 3rd, 2010**_

_**Villa in Rome **_

_**12:00 P.M.**_

After a goodnight's rest, Chuck, Casey, and Morgan all gathered in front of the large monitor once more, awaiting General Beckman to answer their call.

Chuck couldn't help but think about tonight. All he needed to do was get through one more mission and then he would have Sarah back. Then he would be able to leave the spy life behind. Impatience overwhelmed him and he promised himself that he would try his hardest to stay focused tonight, for Sarah at least.

"Good afternoon. The details for tonight are simple. Mr. Bartowski, you will be posing as a Russian arms dealer and the colonel will be acting as your personal bodyguard. Since you are believed to be dead by the ring, you will be staying in the van Mr. Grimes."

"Aw come on! Can't I get a disguise or something?"

"Absolutely not! We are taking the highest of precautions with this mission. As I was saying, you will enter the party and try to quickly make your way through the crowd, ensuring you greet every person inside. The moment you flash on somebody or something, inform Colonel Casey and he will make note of it. It is extremely important that we don't act prematurely or else we may most likely lose the chance of capturing the elders. I cannot stress this enough gentlemen, be on your toes tonight!"

With a beep, the screen had once again gone black, leaving the three men standing by themselves.

"Can't believe you get to escort Chuck tonight, Casey. I'm so jealous. I'll be stuck in the van all night."

"Meh. I'm a glorified secretary." Casey grumbled as usual whenever he was annoyed and made his way upstairs.

_**April 3rd, 2010**_

_**Old warehouse near Rome (Exact location unknown)**_

_**5:14 P.M.**_

"Good evening Ms. Walker. Have a good rest? Good. Tonight's a big night, especially for Mr. Chuck Bartowski. Tonight is when I'll finally be able to show the CIA that killing Evelyn was a huge mistake."

Shaw smiled evilly as he approached Sarah with a roll of silver duct tape. He juggled it in his hands, enjoying himself as he watched the former ice queen struggle out of nervousness. "Who would have thought that Sarah Walker got nervous. Having a boyfriend has made you soft."

Shaw got extremely close to Sarah's face as he whispered those last words.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."

_**April 3rd, 2010**_

_**Mansion in Rome**_

_**7:00 P.M.**_

*BZZZ*

"Looking good Chuck! That costume department can really work wonders. You look exactly like that guy from Fiddler on the Roof. Or Gandalf. Kinda like both actually…"

"Hey Moron! Stay focused."

"Ok ok. Don't worry Casey, I won't let you guys down."

*BZZZ*

Chuck and Casey flashed their invitations to the guards at the door and quickly made their way into the party. Hundreds of the world's most vicious criminals filled the room.

Relieved that most of these criminals weren't in the intersect, Chuck confidently started making his way through the crowd. Otherwise, he would have probably blown his brain with the amount of flashes he'd be having right now.

Casey gave him a small nudge and nodded his head towards the right, where a small woman stood holding a glass of champagne. With a quick scan, Chuck noticed a ring on her finger and began to flash.

"Tracy Ling. Ring was made in Hong Kong." Chuck whispered to Casey as they both continued searching the floor for any other ring members.

_Brrr. Brrrr._

Chuck could feel his phone vibrating against his leg and when he looked to see who it was, all it said was "Encrypted line". He flashed his phone's screen to Casey.

"Must be the General. Better answer it, 'Gandalf'." Casey let out a mocking laugh as they made their way to a quiet room.

"Shut up, at least I'm not a manservant."

"_Grrr…"_

Chuck let out a grin and answered his phone.

"Hello? General Beckman?"

"Close, but not quite. I've got something, or rather someone, you need, and her life, depends on your cooperation."

"Shaw! What the hell do you want?"

"I just want to talk Chuck. And so does your girlfriend."

"Chuck! Don't do what he says! I'm fine. Please, don't listen to him."

"She clearly misses you Chuck. You have 30 minutes to get to my location. If you're not here by then, the blonde dies. Get in your car and call me back, I'll give you directions over the line. Oh and one last thing, if you don't come _alone_, the blonde dies."

There was a _click_ and the line went dead.

"Casey! That was Shaw! He has Sarah and he's going to kill her if I'm not there in 30 minutes. I have to go."

"What do you mean you have to go? We have a mission here Bartowski. And a damn important one at that. You can't just leave."

"He has Sarah, Casey!"

"Without you, we can't identify the elders Chuck. Who knows when they'll all be together in one place. You have a duty to your country-"

"No Casey! Sarah had a duty to her country, and right now they're doing nothing to save her. So it's up to me."

Casey grabbed Chuck by his shoulders and looked him square in the eye.

"If you leave, the mission fails and we lose what may be our only chance at taking down one of the biggest crime operations in the world."

"If I stay, Sarah dies Casey."

*BZZZ*

"Mr. Bartowski, you will be going nowhere. Your mission is to identify the elders and until that is complete, you're staying put. Is that clear?"

"But General Beckman! Shaw has Sarah and he's going to-"

"You have your orders. And if you disobey them, I will have no choice but to arrest you for treason. Are we clear?"

Chuck glanced at his watch. He had 28 minutes to get to Sarah or potentially lose her forever. But if he left, he'd spend the rest of his life on the run from the CIA.

Save the world, or save Sarah Walker, what the hell was Chuck Bartowski going to do?


End file.
